


Finding Home

by CantEscapeMyFandoms



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Captain Hook Origin Story, Anti-Neal, F/M, Gen, Neverland (Once Upon a Time), Wrote this before season 3 but I wanted to re-write it, killian has magic, not for neal fans, this is an idea that came to me before we knew Killian's backstory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-04-20 21:40:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14270103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CantEscapeMyFandoms/pseuds/CantEscapeMyFandoms
Summary: Set right after season 2, and the original idea was written pre-season 3. So this is completely AU. The Jolly Roger crew arrives in Neverland to rescue Henry, but during the journey much about Captain Hook's past comes to light. Mostly Captain Swan.





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> So I started writing this years ago, abandoned it, and now I'm re-writing it. Hope you guys like it.

After the storm ended, Emma found herself wandering around the deck of The Jolly Roger. They hadn't been in Neverland long, the storm having hit them immediately upon arrival. Now, the sun was rising.

Hook was the only other person on deck since he was manning the helm.

Emma wanted to ask him why he came back. Why didn't he just take the bean and leave?

_Maybe I just needed reminding that I could._

His words haunted her.

What exactly did he mean by that? Had her words at the diner really gotten to him? She looked over her shoulder at him, his hair and clothes still wet from the storm. His eyes were focused ahead of the ship, watching the seas as he steered.

It was strange seeing him so in his element. She'd seen him on land in the Enchanted Forest and in Storybrooke, where he always seemed confident and undeterred, but here, sailing his ship, he seemed so calm, in control, almost as though he were a part of the ship and sea. They were two things that Hook knew intimately.

Blue eyes flicked to hers, lips curling into a smirk.

Emma looked away, blushing a bit at being caught staring. She shook herself. This was not the time to be…checking him out or pining, or whatever she was doing. They were here for Henry. That's what this mission was about. Saving her son.

Steeling herself against her own wound up emotions, Emma walked across the deck and up the stairs to the helm, stopping by his right side. "So, do you have a plan?" Emma could tell there was an underlying tension in his posture now that she was up close. He didn't like being back here, in this place of his three hundred year, self-imposed exile.

"First thing's first, we sail to Pirate's Cove." He told her just as the other four came above deck.

"Why?" Emma asked.

Hearing her, the others looked up at the pair.

"Well, Henry is likely on that island." Hook said, directing his words to the group. "You can't very well sail a ship on land. So we'll get to the cove, dock the ship, and then go on land."

"Are you sure it's safe?" Snow asked.

"Very." Hook nodded. "Three hundred years me crew and I docked there whenever we needed to go on the island, and never once did we see a Lost One there."

"Things may have changed since you've been gone." Snow pointed out. She did have a good point.

"Let us hope not." Hook sighed, his brow creasing as he watched the island warily. "I should warn you though, the Lost Ones may stay away from the Cove, but mermaids tend to lurk around there. Not many, but some do."

"Let me guess, mermaids aren't very nice?" Emma quirked a brow.

"Not at all." Hook said gravely. "They're sneaky bastards. Damnable fast and strong."

"What about these Lost Ones?" Regina asked, glaring at the island. "Who are they?"

"They're the wild boys of the island." Hook told them, his face grim. "They're deadly, and loyal to Pan. Frankly, I'd rather a mermaid capture me than a Lost One. At least, death is swift with mermaids."

"Wait," Emma started. "Don't you mean Lost Boys?" She'd never heard of the inhabitants of the island being called the Lost Ones in any version of the story she'd ever heard.

Hook's eyes widened slightly. "There's no such thing as Lost Boys."

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. Hook was hiding something.

"What's that suppose to mean?" David asked. "Aren't they one in the same?"

Hook shrugged it off. "There's a lot of things to be wary of when we get on the island. Pan is a dangerous to be sure."

"Hold on, Pan's the bad guy?" Emma asked. That was a first. Pan was always supposed to be a hero. Though Captain Hook didn't seem to be so villainous after all, at least she hoped so, so the stories must've gotten Pan's heroism wrong too.

"He's a bloody demon." Hook scoffed.

Rumple made a noise of agreement.

"How do you know Pan?" Regina asked, eyeing the Dark One.

"I met him a long time ago." Rumple said. "He was the Pied Piper. Before Bae left me, Pan managed to lure him into his collective of wild boys with a pan flute."

"Pan actually went to pick up his Lost Ones?" Hook arched a brow. "He usually gets the pixies to do his dirty work."

"Oh he was in no short supply of pixie dust." Rumple sneered. "He almost took Bae away from me, and he almost succeeded."

"So we should fear him for kidnapping boys for his feral child club?" Regina scoffed.

"It's not a joke, your majesty." Hook snapped. "Pan is dangerous. He turned a bunch of innocent boys into ruthless killers, and he has magic over this realm. It's his playground where he'll have eyes and ears everywhere."

"So the island is just as dangerous as the Lost Ones?" David sighed. He felt like this mission was becoming more impossible the more he learned about this island.

"What do we have to watch out for?" Snow asked.

"Well for starters, the prettier the flower, the more deadly." Hook began. "Any thick vines on the ground are a part of the man-eating plants, so don't step on them. Don't eat the blue colored berries. Black colored ones are safe. Larger fruits are safe to eat. Pixies are fickle, resentful, and bitter. They are also more likely to ally with Pan than us."

"Tinker Bell too?" Emma mused.

Hook glanced at her, something shadowed his eyes. "Tinker Bell died a long time ago. Pixies have very short life spans."

"Anything else we should know?" David asked.

"All you need to know is that while we're on the island, we must stick together." Hook warned them. "Or at least remain in pairs. If you're alone you're more likely to get killed or caught by the Lost Ones."

"Sounds like a boatload of fun." Emma remarked dryly.

Hook chuckled. At least, Swan was taking this all in stride despite the circumstances.

Snow's brow furrowed. "If we all go on the island, what do we do about the ship?"

"Leave that to me, dearie." Rumple said. "I have a cloaking spell in mind. One that allows us to see the ship, of course."

"And Henry." Hook said, surprising the others. "If Henry is a smart lad," Hook began. "And considering he's Emma's son, I have little doubt of that," that statement earned a dust of a blush on Emma's face, "then if he sees the ship, he'll try and get to it, or try and find us."

"He has a point." David agreed, impressed by the pirate's logic even if he wasn't keen on said pirate flirting with his daughter. "If Henry can't see the ship, and he escapes Greg and Tamara, who knows where he'll try and run off to. Especially since he may not realize that the Lost Ones are dangerous."

"Pan could very well convince Henry that the Lost Ones are good if Henry already doesn't believe them to be villains." Hook agreed. "They're boys, they're Henry's age, and Henry seems like a lad that would want some adventure."

"You're right." Emma nodded. "In our world, the Lost Ones are portrayed as playful kids, so Henry might be more excited than worried or scared."

"They're certainly anything but playful." Hook said.

"Then we need to hurry up and get to Henry." Regina said with grim determination. "How long until we reach the cove?"

"An hour yet." Hook told her. "We have to sail the coast for a bit."

"Is there a map of Neverland?" David asked.

"Aye." Hook replied. "Somewhere in my quarters. When we reach the Cove and anchor, I'll get it out. Then we can strategize."

"Well then, in the time we have, I'll get started on the spell." Rumple nodded. He headed to the bow of the ship and began spinning his magic.

What seemed like an hour later, and a trip past the entire west coast (according to Hook), they arrived at a grouping of towering rocks. Hook maneuvered the ship between the two walls of rock. The Cove was circular and surrounded by parts of the island, which on all sides seemed to be all jungle.

"Welcome to Pirate's Cove." Hook announced.

"Quite the spot you picked out Hook." Regina said, her sarcasm not even remotely hidden.

Hook scowled at the "former" Evil Queen. "Sorry if it's not up to your standards, your majesty."

Rumple was still at the bow preparing the spell. It was taking longer than he expected due to the tweaks in who was allowed to see the ship and cloaking it from enemies. Quite a complicated little spell.

When the ship reached the center of the Cove, Hook handed Emma the helm, to her surprise, and he and David lowered the anchor.

"I'll go get that map." He told David.

David nodded and returned to Mary Margaret's side.

The second he reached his quarters, Hook closed the door and leaned against it, starting to heave.  _Deep breaths,_ he chided himself,  _deep breaths Jones._ It was worse than he thought, returning to Neverland.

The first time he returned, he was so caught up in his anger and his revenge that he didn't let it bother him. He had grown up, Pan hadn't recognized him. He had been lucky that he had only dealt with the Lost Ones so many times in three hundred years and survived.

But now Hook had the foreboding feeling that this trip, that rescuing Henry, would lead to a confrontation with the Lost Ones.

A confrontation Killian Jones had been avoiding since he was ten years old.

He closed his eyes, and collected himself.

 _Enough with the self-pity. Emma's lad,_  Hook thought.  _This is all about rescuing Emma's lad._

Walking over to his desk, Hook hesitated as he looked at a group of rolled up parchments. He shook himself before he pulled out the one tied with a red string, a cursive NL scribbled on the bottom corner.

The map to Neverland. The very first one. The one Killian had hand drawn so many centuries ago, when he was just discovering his artistic talent.

Another deep breath and Hook stalked out of the room.

Before he reached the deck, he felt a stir in the air and a chill rolled down his spine alerting him that the Crocodile had completed his cloaking spell. Reaching the deck, he saw Regina and the Crocodile huddled with the Charmings as Emma walked down the stairs from the helm.

Emma paused, looking at him with curiosity.

Not for the first time, he wondered if being an open book went both ways.

"Took you long enough." Regina muttered when he joined the group.

Hook just barely refrained from rolling his eyes. "Here we are then." Hook unrolled the map and placed it on one of the crate's on deck.

David held down part of the map to keep it flat.

"The original map of Neverland."

"Really?" Rumple questioned. "How did you come to acquire it?"

"I made it." Hook commented flatly.

Despite the fact that he sounded blasé about it, Emma though that he should've been at least a little proud of it. It was beautifully hand drawn and carefully detailed and labeled. She had no idea the pirate had such an artistic side. It reminded her of her own talent in art, and paintings and drawings lost and torn in foster homes she never saw again.

Hook pointed to Pirate's Cove on the map. "This where we are. As you can see, we're to the south. The Lost Ones," Hook moved his finger to a rock shaped like a skull, "reside in the north, at Skull Rock."

"What about the Home Underground?" Emma questioned, having seen the name on the map.

Hook swallowed. "That was the Lost Boys home. It was abandoned." He moved his finger closer to the southeast. "To our left is the Dark Jungle. To our right is the Neverwood, it takes up most of the east side of the island. That's where the Home Underground was. Mermaid's Lagoon is here, on the other side of the Neverwood. The north-most end of the island houses Pixie Hollow. And right at the heart of Neverland, the Neverpeak Mountain."

"Where could they have taken Henry?" Regina asked.

"That depends on wherever they popped out of the ocean." Hook said, "My guess would be that they, more than likely, have taken, or plan to take Henry to Skull Rock."

"So, depending on which part of the island they came up on," Emma started, "they may still be wandering the island."

"Possibly." Hook agreed. "Greg and Tamara are from your world, they don't know Neverland. Unless they've stumbled upon or have been found by a Lost One, then they're still somewhere on the island."

"Gold." Mary Margaret looked at the wizard. "Can we use the globe to track Henry?"

"I'm afraid not." Gold grimaced. "When we arrived in the storm, it was damaged. One crack and it can't work, or be repaired."

"Great." David muttered. "What now?"

"Now, we plan." Hook replied. "We'll need to scout the island first. Find the traps, have you lot familiarize yourselves with the island…"

"We don't have time for this!" Regina interrupted. "Henry is out there right now and in danger!"

"We don't plan, we're dead." Hook snapped. "What use would we be to Henry then?"

"The longer we wait, the more risk we have that the Lost Ones get Henry!" Regina argued.

"For all we know Henry's already their prisoner." Hook replied, trying to keep his own temper in check.

"And if he's not?" Regina glared.

"Then scouting the island gives us a chance to search for him as well." Emma said calmly trying to diffuse the tension stepping between them, her palm resting against Hook's chest to calm him. She could tell Hook was easily irritated with Regina's impatience and impertinence, wondering if that was the pirate captain in him. It was strange though, how he was acting, at least it was strange to Emma. It seemed Neverland shook the pirate's nerves, something Emma didn't think was possible.

"Emma's right." David agreed, trying not to scowl at Emma's physical proximity to Hook. "And so is Hook. He knows this place better than any of us. I think listening to him is are best option."

Snow also took note of Emma's position with the curiosity only a mother could possess.

Hook was surprised by the amount of trust David was giving him. Even more, he was surprised that Emma was on his side, and working to keep him in control. Her hand was still against his chest and her touch felt like it was burning through his leather vest and shirt. He hoped that she wasn't feeling his quickly beating heart.

"All right then." Snow spoke. "Where do we begin?"

They all looked to Hook, who was impressed by the lack of verbal protest from the Crocodile and Regina, expecting him to plan. It was just as well. David was right, Hook knew this place better than anyone.

Realizing her hand was still touching Hook, Emma slowly removed her hand, choosing to scrutinize the map instead.

"We have three options as I see it." Hook began. "We go to Skull Rock and wait for Henry's arrival, but risk constantly fighting off the Lost Ones. We all go together in one group and search the island together, which could take too long and risk Henry ending up in the Lost Ones hands. Or, we split up and go in pairs, dividing the map between us, and hopefully cover enough ground so that we might find Henry in time."

"It sounds like pairs is our best option." Emma commented. "We can divide the map and cover the most ground. Our meeting spot could be just on the other side of the mountain."

"It's a good plan." Snow agreed. "How should we divide up?"

"I have an idea about that." Hook spoke before anyone else could. "Pan has magic and the Lost Ones are fighters, so the best thing is for each pair to have someone with magic and someone good in a fight." Hook carefully cut the map into three parts. One part had the Dark Jungle and Pixie Hollow, the other part had the Neverpeak Mountain and Skull Rock, and the third part had the Neverwood and Mermaid Lagoon. "I'll take the Dark Jungle and Pixie Hollow. It's the most dangerous part of Neverland."

"I'll go with you." Emma stated, surprising even herself. "I might not be the best at magic, but I'm least likely to kill you if you get on my nerves."

Hook chuckled. "Too right, love."

Snow and David shared a look of concern. Neither of them trusted Hook with their daughter, but they felt that they had to try and trust Emma's judgement here.

"All right then." Hook nodded. "Milady Snow, you're an adept tracker, correct?"

"I am." Snow confirmed.

"Good, then you take the Neverwood." Hook told her. "Regina will accompany you."

"What?" Snow, David, and Regina were a tad flabbergasted at his suggestion.

Rumple was curious himself, wondering what the pirate's game was.

As was Emma, but she could also see where he might be coming from. Regina and Snow had history, and knew each other well enough that they could work together if they set aside their differences.

"As I said, each pair needs magic." Hook reminded them. "Plus, you and the Queen here know each other best. That leaves the mountain for the prince and the Crocodile."

No one could argue that the plan wasn't a good one as Hook touched on some key points.

"We should stock up on weapons." Emma said. "You got any?"

"Aye." Hook gave David and Snow their pieces of the map, before tucking away the part that he and Emma would use. He turned to go back below deck with Emma and her parents following him.

Regina and Gold didn't see the need for other weapons, figuring that their magic could do.

They reached the weapons storage and Emma was impressed by the array of weapons. "When you pirates pillage, you pillage."

A wry grin was on Hook's lips. "It is a pirate's forte."

The heroes eyed the weapons, looking for their best match. Snow grabbed a bow and a quiver of arrows, a push dagger, and a hunting sword. David took a broad sword, as well as a dagger. Emma had a short sword, but she also took a bolo knife and, to her inner glee, brass knuckles. Hook took a long dagger and a cutlass.

Now they were ready for a fight.

As they made to leave, David put a hand on Hook's shoulder, pulling the pirate back.

"Emma, go on ahead." Snow said. "David and I need to have a word with Hook."

Emma groaned. "Seriously? What are you going to give him the "you hurt our daughter, we'll kill you" speech?"

"Something like that." David muttered.

Emma shot her father a glare. "Okay." Emma told her parents, "But remember that we do  _need_  him." She gave Hook a warning look as well as if telling him not to say anything that would piss off her parents.

Hook waggled an eyebrow at her as she left. He turned to the Charmings, who were looking intimidating with their glares and postures. Luckily, Hook wasn't a man to be intimidated. If he can face gods themselves and tell them to fuck off, he can certainly face down the parents of the woman he pined after.

"So, Hook." Snow started off, her tone serious.

"Your majesties." Hook nodded.

"We don't like you." David said.

Hook held back a snort.

Emma definitely inherited her father's tact.

"David." Snow admonished.

"It's the truth." Hook agreed. "Neither of you like me, nor do you trust me. Least of all with your only daughter."

"Look, we don't need to tell you that if anything happens to Emma, we will blame you." Snow said. "So you better do your damnedest to protect her. She's used to doing things on her own, but she's not from this realm and she's too stubborn. You need to be patient with her and ensure her safety. Got it?"

Hook stepped towards them, making eyes contact to convey his seriousness. "Believe it or not, Emma and I are two people cut from the same cloth. We have a lot more in common than you know. I like to think that she and I understand each other, and I seriously doubt that I could ever hurt her."

Still, David and Snow didn't seem so sure.

"I give you both my word that I will not hurt Emma and that I will return her safely to you." Hook's solemn vow seemed to put them at a bit more ease.

"We're going to trust you, Hook." David said. "Just this once. Don't waste it."

With that, the prince and princess walked past him.

Hook watched them go. "I hope I don't."

* * *

Henry struggled with his bonds as Greg dragged him from the coastal shore of Neverland into some kind of jungle. "Let me go!"

"Not a chance." Tamara said. "Now, shut up and behave."

"You won't get away with this!" Henry glared. "My family will find me!"

"I'd like to see them try." Greg said. "We should wait here. The Home Office needs to contact us."

"No." Tamara shook her head, eyeing the jungle critically. "We need to find them. If we don't get this brat to them soon…"

"We don't even know where to start." Greg argued. "We don't know how big this place is, and we didn't exactly bring supplies with us."

Tamara rolled her eyes.

With his kidnappers arguing, Henry took a more critical look at the rope around his wrists. He could find something to cut them with, but Greg wasn't letting go any time soon. He needed to make a run for it, but Tamara had a gun even if they needed him alive, he wasn't sure that Tamara wouldn't shoot him in the leg or something.

Waiting for his family to come wasn't an option. He needed to find a way to escape and find a safe place to hideout until his family could find him. Henry just needed to figure out how.

"If they were going to contact us, they would've by now!" Tamara snapped. "They're probably waiting for us to come to them!"

"If they know we're here, then they'll know where to find us." Greg jerked on Henry's bonds, pulling the boy to a stumble.

He needed to get them distracted enough to let go of him and not notice him running off. The whole "look behind you" gag would be too quick and they would hear him running. An idea struck him. Maybe he could get the argument to escalate. "You know, all this arguing you two are doing solves nothing. You're just sitting around here with no plan, really? That's pathetic."

"Shut up!" Tamara pulled Henry from Greg's grasp. "I shot your dad, do you really think I won't hurt you?"

Swallowing his fear, Henry glared up at her defiantly. "You could try."

"Tamara, stop it." Greg stepped between her and Henry. "We can't hurt him. Who knows how they might react to that? We need to stay calm."

"She's not going to listen to you." Henry told him. "She's going to do whatever she wants. She probably thinks that your pathetic letting the Home Office dictate what you do."

Greg turned on Henry. "You need to be quiet."

Henry noticed the eye roll from Tamara. "Look at her, she doesn't care about you or respects you."

"That's not true." Tamara immediately said, shooting Henry a glare before turning to Greg. "Listen…"

Greg eyed her. "Wait, I thought…"

"That she loved you?" Henry prompted. "Because she acted pretty convincing with my dad, and she still shot him. How do you know that she hasn't lied to you too?"

"Would you shut up!" Tamara lunged, pushing Henry to the ground.

Henry winced, landing hard on his back, but he sat up quickly, watching the fight unfold.

Greg grabbed Tamara by the arm. "So what, everything's been a lie?"

"No, it hasn't." Tamara looked panicked and didn't sound very convincing.

"How can I know that for sure?" Greg snarled.

As the argument between the two escalated, Henry very slowly walked backwards, keeping his eyes on the pair of them.

Their angry shouts echoed in the jungle.

With neither of them paying attention to him, Henry turned and ran faster than he'd ever run in his life.

* * *

Hook and Emma jumped off of the boat, both making a splash in the shallow water as they trekked through it, seeking the shore of the Dark Jungle.

The boat, occupied by Rumple and David, rowed away, heading up river towards the mountain.

Snow and Regina were already on the other side of the cove, heading into the Neverwood.

"So did my parents threaten you within an inch of your life if something happens to me?" Emma asked.

Hook smirked at her. "Essentially."

"Yeah, that figures." Emma sighed, shaking the water off her boots once they were on land again. "So what do we do now?"

"Well, the Dark Jungle is the most dangerous part of Neverland." Hook said. "We'll need to be quick and thorough in our search and highly alert. You never know what surprises Neverland will have in store."

Emma had a bad feeling about this, but she had to trust that Hook knew what he was doing.

Hook stopped at the edge of the Jungle and reached a hand out to her. "Do you trust me, Swan?"

 _Trust_.

She didn't want to trust him, not because of him being a villain, but because trusting someone opened doors to other things. Other feelings. Emma couldn't let herself feel anything for the pirate right now. Swallowing, Emma walked past him, but paused. "Come on, pirate. Let's go find my son."

His smile had her stomach doing somersaults. When their eyes met, there was an intensity in his forget-me-not blues that had Emma's defenses trembling.

"Aye, let's get to it then." Hook pulled out his cutlass and began to cut through the jungle.


	2. Running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our characters are paired off and now must traverse Neverland together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, this is a spin on Neverland since this was originally written before season 3 aired, so Killian's backstory is very different here.

Despite seeing animal traps and navigating the steep terrain for a few hours now, there was no sign of life that they could discern other than the twittering of unseen birds.

"This isn't working." Regina huffed. She was most certainly not wearing the proper attire for a trek through the woods. Her heels kept digging into the soft ground and her blazer was making her sweat. "We shouldn't be scouting and taking our time. We need to find Henry now."

Snow sighed, having heard one variation or another of the same statement since they entered the forest. "Regina, please don't start with this."  _Again._

Regina glared at her. "You know, I could just leave you here to fend for yourself. I could use my magic and get Henry and then take him home."

"Then why don't you?" Snow snapped, exasperated. "Emma and Hook aren't here to stop you. It's just little old me, and frankly, I've done fine on my own before, I can do it again."

"Fine." Regina said.

"Whatever Regina." Snow shook her head. The princess walked away, despite Hook's earlier warning as they left the ship to not traverse the island alone and to always stick together.

Regina put her hand on her hips and huffed again.

If Snow could take care of herself, then there was no reason for her to stay. She could use her magic, find Henry, get back to the ship, and leave this dreadful place.

Still, it was growing dark, and Hook had warned them not to be alone, and especially at night when the Lost Ones would be about.

"Dammit." Regina cursed. She followed Snow, slightly running to catch up.

This was going to be a long journey.

* * *

Hook had been wary of starting a fire and alerting anything lurking in the jungle of their presence, but it was dark and cold, and he wasn't keen to let Emma or himself freeze to death.

Neverland wasn't exactly a forgiving landscape, and it's weather often reflected that.

They were in a small clearing, covered by plenty of foliage. Hopefully that would be enough cover to hide the light from their fire.

Emma was warming herself by the fire when Hook broke through the clearing.

He had gone off in search of food, and from the looks of it, he was successful. He had an armful of red, baseball sized fruit. Sitting by the fire, he handed Emma a few of the fruits.

"These are safe to eat." He told her. "A bit on the sweet side, but good."

Emma eyed the fruit, but she trusted Hook's judgement.

He wouldn't give her anything that would kill her.

She bit into the fruit and bit back the moan that threatened to burst out. After having not eaten much today, the fruit was more than amazing. It was a bit sweet, just as Hook warned, but it was also succulent and had a tang to it that reminded her of oranges.

Hook chuckled. He'd obviously been gaging her reaction.

"Shut up." She smirked at him. She finished two of the fruits rather quickly and she was surprised to find that they were quite filling.

Hook passed her his water pouch. She took a few sips.

It was an amicable silence, and it surprised her when she realized just how comfortable she was with him. It felt like they were two friends camping rather than reluctant allies braving a deadly island in search for her son.

 _But who was the reluctant one?_  A voice in her head taunted her.

"You know, we could always talk to pass the time." Hook told her, breaking the silence. There was a sly quirk to his lips.

Feeling a bit defensive, not wanting to reveal herself, Emma scoffed. "Yeah, I'm sure talking is all you want from me." She meant it as a joke, but his face dropped instantly.

There was a deep sadness in his eyes. "I am more than a flirt you know."

With his words, Emma felt her heart ache with guilt. She hadn't meant to hurt him; she just didn't want to be vulnerable again. "I'm sorry, Hook. I just…look, this whole situation is just too surreal for me. I grew up believing that you were fiction, and here I am having dinner with you in freaking Neverland of all places."

Hook shrugged. "I suppose it is from your perspective."

Emma wondered about his own perspective. He had tried to hide it, but Emma could tell that this island set him on edge. Her gut instinct told her that it was more than just the dangers the island presented. "What about you? What's it like being back here after all this time?"

Hook paused, his blue eyes focusing on the flames before him. "It's not a place I ever wanted to return to."

"Then why did you?" Emma asked.

He met her eyes and she could see the vulnerability and uncertainty in them.

"I felt that I owed Baelfire." He finally said. "And, you."

"Why would you owe either of us?" Her words were quiet, and her eyes couldn't break away from his.

"I knew Bae when he was a lad." Hook confessed. "I broke his trust and betrayed him. I couldn't just leave his son to die too."

"And me?"

At those words, he broke eye contact. "You know, my name isn't actually Hook."

It was an obvious change of subject, and Emma felt disappointed that she wouldn't get her answers. "I know. It's Killian Jones."

He was surprised that she even remembered that. "Aye. You can call me Killian, if you'd like."

She wondered why he would prefer that, and she was tempted to ask. Instead she said his name. "Killian." It rolled easily off of her tongue, and Emma found that she liked calling him that over Hook. It made him feel more like a real person instead of the story that she knew as a kid. "Killian." She repeated.

Killian's lips curved into a soft smile. "Nice name, innit?"

"It is." Emma said honestly.

That surprised him again.

Emma chuckled; she liked keeping him on his toes. "All right Killian, you wanted to talk, what about?"

"Anything really." Killian shrugged. "What do you want to talk about?"

Emma had a feeling that they needed to stay away from the more personal topics that would open wounds that neither of them were ready for, but then she realized that she really didn't know much about him other than the fact that he understood her, that he lost Milah and his hand, and that until today, he was on a quest for vengeance. She was curious about his past, and she still wanted to know why he thought he owed her, but she didn't feel like heavy talk tonight. it would lead to a conversation Emma was sure that neither of them were quite ready for, and Emma really didn't want to shred apart the tentative friendship that he seemed so keen on having with her.

"Tell me about an adventure you had." Emma suggested. "Maybe how you became a pirate?"

His eyes lit up at the question.

Emma was relieved that this wasn't a touchy subject for him.

Killian leaned back against a tree. "Well, becoming a pirate was quite an endeavor. I was about…fifteen I think. Aye, that's about right. I had been working in a port as a fisherman. I had been on my own…" He paused his eyes taking on a haunted quality, before he shook his head. "Anyway, the docks were rather uneventful until the day a pirate ship docked. I was warned by my fellow fishermen to stay away from pirates, but I couldn't help my curiosity. I watched the crew. Their captain was dressed in all black, and even his face remained covered by a black mask. I thought that that was odd. Who wears a bloody mask?"

Something about the pirate Killian described seemed familiar to Emma. A masked pirate in all black attire? Where had she heard that before?

"When the captain and the crew left their ship for a night on shore in the taverns, I snuck aboard the ship." Killian continued. "I wondered what their lives were like. If they really pillaged and plundered and had treasure. I had always loved the sea, and I wanted to spend my days on it, just without the constant smell of fish clinging to my skin."

He certainly never smelled of fish as far as Emma could tell.

No, he smelled of the sea he lived on and the leather he wore and some kind of exotic scent that he must've picked up on during his travels.

Emma hated that she was glad he didn't smell like fish. She hated the smell of fish, but she shouldn't be glad that the pirate smelled so enticingly good.

"I was young, I wanted adventure." Killian said. "Who doesn't at that age? I went below deck to do some exploring. I thought I'd have hours until the crew returned. Alas, I wasn't alone and I was knocked out from behind."

Emma bit the inside of her cheek to keep from gasping out of concern. Obviously things had turned out all right, since Killian was alive and well in front of her, but he was so good at telling a story that she was enraptured.

"I woke up later with a throbbing head and the masked captain at my bedside, well his bedside. I was apparently brought to his own cabin. He didn't look pleased." Killian chuckled at the memory. "He asked what I was doing aboard his ship and I made a smart remark about hitting defenseless children. The captain countered with the fact that defenseless children make the best guise for master thieves. I conceded his point. I was a thief by technicality. But he didn't know that. And in all honesty, when I first boarded the ship I had no intention of stealing."

"And after you boarded?" Emma asked amused. She couldn't help it, she wanted to know more.

Killian gave her a sly look. "Well, I was an orphan not a saint." His amused expression died quickly though upon realizing that he had revealed a personal truth that earlier he'd so keenly avoided. And just like that the atmosphere changed into an awkward, vulnerable silence. He wasn't sure whether or not to continue on with the story.

It was then that Emma understood him a little better. His words on the beanstalk weren't just a reference to his time in Neverland. He knew what it was like to be alone, unloved, and unwanted. Not only that, but his words confirmed to Emma that her abandoning him on the beanstalk had indeed affected him more than he let on, and that's what pushed him to go back to Cora's side.

It was odd to see him looking so vulnerable.

Emma leaned closer to him and smiled. "So tell me, what did this fearsome pirate captain do to our dear St. Killian when he denied his thievery?"

Killian gave her a grateful look, before continuing on. "Well, I never said I denied thievery. I simply agreed with the captain's assessment that the guise of innocence was merely the best tool for deception."

Emma laughed a little at that; she tried to ignore the fact that his expression looked as though she had given him an early Christmas present.

"The captain," Killian continued, "gave me a choice, walk the plank or become the knave. A servant boy. Well, I valued my life even back then. So I chose the lesser of two evils. Besides, becoming a knave meant that I was going to be living on the ship. A life at sea, like I wanted." He looked wistful, before continuing. "The captain didn't make my life easy, and he didn't let the crew allow me any slack. For five years the captain made me clean up after them and cook for them. But he was also kinder than most thought. He taught me how to sail, taught me everything about ships, about how to be a captain. He taught me sword fighting. And oh, was he a master with a blade. Formidable really. He allowed me to read his books as well, allowed me to accompany him when we docked. It was a great life, and cleaning and cooking as I learned early on, was my way of contributing to the crew. As I got older, I was allowed more formal duties as a shipmate, and I was less a servant. When I reached twenty, the captain asked me to talk with him, privately. We sat in his cabin, a bottle of rum between us, and he asked me if I would like to know the story of how he became a pirate, of why he wore his mask. Of course, I wanted to know. I had been asking him such for years and he simply said, "Someday Killian, I may tell you, but not this day." Now, I was finally going to get answers. So he told me, his story, of how he had once been on a quest for revenge."

Emma felt another tinge of familiarity. A quest for revenge? Just who was this pirate that Killian spoke of with regard?

"My captain had been journeying with two men." Killian said. "A clever man and a giant. The clever man devised a plan to kidnap a princess, or well a princess to be, and my captain and the giant were to help him. They were successful, but a man, a pirate in all black attire with a mask, was following them. I asked my captain if he'd stolen the man's costume or something. The captain laughed and told me to let him finish the story, and then I would know."

Realization hit Emma like lightning. She knew what story this was.  _The Princess Bride_ had been her favorite movie growing up, and a favorite book when she had gotten ahold of it as an adult. She wondered if the captain that Killian spoke of was indeed Inigo Montoya.

"So my captain told me of how he was tasked with disposing of the masked man." Killian told her. "They had a fierce duel, in which both learned that they were both quite the swordsmen, and my captain lost. However, the masked man spared his life."

"Wait, hold on a minute." Emma interrupted. She couldn't contain herself any longer. She had to know the truth now, even though she tried to remain skeptical. Her inner little girl was practically stealing with delight anyway "Your captain, was he the Dread Pirate Roberts? And was his real name Inigo Montoya?"

Killian's brows shot up in surprise. "How did you know that?"

Emma's inner little girl squared even louder.  _The Princess Bride_ had been real! Her favorite fairytale did exist! "In my world, it's a story.  _The Princess Bride_. Westley and Buttercup fell in love, he left and supposedly died, years later she was set to marry an evil prince, the Dread Pirate Roberts foiled her kidnapping and revealed that he was Westley, then the evil prince tried to have him killed, but Westley, Inigo, and Fezzik saved Buttercup, and Westley and Buttercup lived happily ever after."

"That's essentially the story that Inigo told me, yes." Killian was amused at Emma's obvious excitement.

Emma blushed with embarrassment. "It was my favorite story." She admitted, trying to brush it off.

Killian filed that information away for future reference. "Aye. My captain told me that story and how he was not the first Dread Pirate Roberts, and he hoped that he wouldn't be the last. Inigo told me that he thought his time to retire was soon upon him. He wanted to pass the mantle to me."

Emma's jaw dropped. "No way! You were given the chance to be  _the_  Dread Pirate Roberts?"

"I was." Killian nodded, trying not to grin at her disbelief. "And I was truly grateful for the offer, but I couldn't take it. I told him, I loved being a part of his crew and being a pirate, but I wanted to make my own legend, by my own name. I wanted something that was mine, and mine alone."

A fierce wave of empathy took ahold of her. How often had she wished for the same in her life? A home that was just hers. A family that was just hers. Things that were just hers. Her baby blanket was a coveted treasure for that reason, and it was why, after all these years and having enough money to buy a newer used car, that she hadn't sold the bug. After prison, it was the first home that she had, despite the fact that it held painful memories for her. Despite the fact that she had wished that she had never seen the bug in the first place.

It wasn't until she met Henry in Boston that she was grateful for stealing the bug.

Still, wanting things that were just hers and no one else's wasn't something she'd ever gotten over. It was a need that no orphan could ever quell. Even now, with her son and her parents, and a whole town full of people depending on her, Emma still felt like the orphan left on the side of the road.

"So I left the crew with Inigo's blessings." Killian was wrapping up his story now. "I got me own ship and me own crew. And as it stands," Killian's tone and expression grew dark, "I did become a legend, I became Captain Hook, the villain."

It was a heavy note to end on and the silence that grew between them reflected that.

After a long while, Killian spoke again. "Why was this story your favorite? Westley and Buttercup's story, I mean."

Emma shrugged. "A lost princess and a dashing pirate battling overwhelming odds in a strange land. It was the perfect fairytale."

"Aye," Killian's look turned serious. "A lost princess and a dashing pirate battling overwhelming odds in a strange land. Truly something that only happens in fairytales."

The implication wasn't lost on Emma, who felt her walls begin slamming themselves back into place. This was very dangerous territory. This was Captain Hook, a ruthless, cunning, charming, and intelligent pirate. A man who had thirsted for revenge for centuries and had only looked out for himself. Normally, Emma could handle that facade of his, but she couldn't handle the man behind the mask. She couldn't handle Killian Jones, the orphan and the man. The one that so easily connected to Emma and her past. The man that could read her like an open book. He was too real.

Emma scooted away from him.

Killian tried to hide the hurt in his eyes, turning his focus on the fire.

She was running. It's what she did best. Besides, they were here for Henry. He was her priority. There was no room for a relationship right now. If she even wanted a relationship with Killian. "We should get some sleep."

He nodded. "I'll take first watch."

Emma didn't argue. She sorted out the pallet that they had made earlier and draped her jacket over her as a blanket. Sleep was slow to claim her as her thoughts kept going back to the man not even three feet away from her, but eventually, she drifted off, dreams of the sea and a certain pirate dancing around in her head.

* * *

So far, the journey up Crocodile Creek, through the mountain, resulted in nothing.

It was day two of their search, and Rumple and Charming were returning to the boat after having stopped to search the land. They had been trekking through the southeastern part of the mountain, but there was no sign of life except for a few crocodiles and birds.

Thanks to Rumple's magic, their boat was protected from attack, and Rumple's powers had kept the crocodiles off of them. For now.

There were two on the shore near the boat, and David swore that they were giving him and Rumple the stink eye.

David sighed as they got back in the boat.

There was still no sign of Henry, and David was worried. He didn't like to think of his grandson being alone with those people for too long. They needed to find a trail, or something. Once they did, they could track them.

They hadn't encountered any Lost Ones yet either.

David wondered if Pan and the Lost Ones even knew if they had company yet, or not. David hoped that they were unaware of his family and allies presence on the island. It would give them a measure of surprise that could be needed whenever they found Henry.

It was time to continue on and keep up the search.

"So," David began as the boat moved along the surface of the water. "How do you think the others are fairing?" It hadn't been easy to make conversation amongst themselves. Outside of figuring out their search plan, Rumple and David didn't have much to say. They hadn't exactly been friendly before. The only thing they had in common was a grandson that they shared. Still, they were working together for now, and it wouldn't hurt to try and be polite to each other.

"I expect about the same." Rumple surprised David by answering without sarcasm.

"Do you think Henry's safe?" David asked. "I know he's not  _safe_ , but do you think they've hurt him?"

"I can't say." Rumple said. "When I met Pan, he was cocky and arrogant, but there was evil in his eyes. That much I can tell you."

"What could he even want with Henry?"

"That is a very good question." Rumple said. "Why indeed? The boy's never shown signs of magic, has he?"

David shook his head. "No. Emma's the only one in the family with magic."

Rumple hummed noncommittally.

As usual silence fell between them.

David looked ahead of them, and saw that there was water splashing along the bank. "What do you think that is?"

"I don't know." Rumple's eyes narrowed at the sight.

Red hair flashed above the water before a woman became visible. She seemed to be struggling with something, and David couldn't tell if she was drowning or not.

Then she was pulled under and a scaly tail splashed through the water.

A mermaid was drowning the woman.

"We have to help her." David insisted. "Can you make this boat go faster?"

"Personally, I'd rather not risk my life for a stranger." Rumple said. "Let the mermaid have her."

David gave the Dark One a fierce glare before jumping out of the boat. He swan towards the struggle, and managed to grab ahold of the redhead. He pulled her away, but the dark haired mermaid saw him and lunged. She grabbed at his ankle and pulled and David found himself underwater.

Rumple rolled his eyes. It was tempting to let the fool drown, but Rumple really didn't want to get the blame for the prince's death once his family found out. Using his magic, Rumple blasted the mermaid away from David and the stranger.

The wounded mermaid fled.

David found his way to the surface, helped by the redheaded woman.

"Heroes and their savior complexes." Rumple muttered. He used magic to push the boat to where David was floating. He helped David back into the boat.

David turned to help the redhead, but she made no move to take his hand. "It's okay," David reassured. "We're not going to hurt you."

Rumple noticed exactly what David missed. "I'd be more worried about her hurting us."

The girl's eyes widened. "You!" She exclaimed. She launched herself at Rumple, but David grabbed her around the middle. A very scaly middle.

David looked down to see that this woman was definitely not just a woman.

"You're a mermaid?" David asked. "Then why was the other one trying to hurt you?"

"Let me go." She told David. She glared at Rumple, "You bastard. I could kill you."

"Whoa, hold on." David held her tighter. "What did you do to her?" He asked Rumple.

Rumple shrugged.

The redheaded mermaid struggled harder, but David was a siren and a dragon slayer. He could handle a mermaid, even as the boat rocked unsteadily.

"Hey, calm down." He finally told her.

The mermaid glared at him, "Would you calm down when your face to face with the man who ruined your life?"

"Considering he has messed with my life for years, then yes." David remained calm, hoping to calm her too. After all, it was true. Rumple had created the curse and he had mentored both Cora and Regina, and he made sure that the curse would work and that a savior would be born to break the curse, all in order to find his son.

"Well then, aren't you a saint." The mermaid growled.

Rumple snickered.

The mermaid wasn't far from the truth.

"Listen, please," David implored. "My grandson, Henry, he's lost on this island. I need Rumplestiltskin's help to find him. I know this is hard, but I am begging you, whatever was in your past in regards to him, please let it go. My grandson's life may depend on it."

The mermaid calmed considerably and David let her go. "Your grandson?" She asked. "Looks about ten, red striped scarf, blue coat. Accompanied by a bitch and a dimwit?"

"You've seen them?" David asked. Finally, they had a lead.

"Maybe." She said. She wasn't being coy. Her expression was dead serious.

"Something you want in return, dearie?" Rumple asked. He knew desperation when he saw it. He was in the business of desperate souls after all.

David glanced at him, before looking back at the mermaid. "If you help us, I'll make sure that whatever it is you want, you'll get it."

"I wouldn't be so keen to make deals, if I were you dearie." Rumple warned.

"That's funny coming from you." David said dryly. He turned to the mermaid, "What do you want?"

"I want to go home." The mermaid said.

"Isn't this your home?" David asked.

"No." The mermaid disagreed. "You asked why that mermaid was trying to hurt me? It's because I'm not a Neverland mermaid. I'm from the Enchanted Forest."

"How did you end up here?" David asked.

"How does anyone lose their happy ending?" The mermaid asked. "The Evil Queen's curse. I was human and living happily with my true love, and then the curse struck and I found myself here, amongst mermaid kind once more."

David didn't know what to say to that, and he definitely didn't know whether telling this mermaid that the Evil Queen was in Neverland was a good idea.

"You help me get home." The mermaid began, "You help me reunite with my Eric, and I will help you find your grandson."

David sighed. "I don't know if I can get you back to the Enchanted Forest. We were all cursed to a land without magic, and we were stuck there. But your Eric, maybe he's there too, maybe he was cursed with us."

"Do you think so?" The mermaid asked.

"Honestly, I don't know." David told her. "But it's a step closer to home than staying in this place."

The mermaid considered him. If it was one step closer to Eric… "I'll help you." She told them. "Swear to me that when you leave I can come with you, and I will help you."

"I swear it." David stated.

Rumple sighed. "Wonderful. Just what we needed, a fish tailing us."

The mermaid and David glared.

"Not helping." David sighed.

Rumple ignored him.

"I'm David by the way." David introduced himself.

"Ariel." The mermaid smiled. "My name is Ariel."

* * *

Emma and Killian hardly spoke all day except when they agreed to stop for a rest or food.

Emma hated how awkward things felt between them. It had been easy to talk last night, but then she got scared and ran.

Now Killian was…not avoiding her exactly, but he wasn't trying to start conversations, seeming content to just let silence fall between them.

For once, Emma regretted running away, but she was scared. She wasn't ready to fall in love again. Though since Neal's return to her life, she often wondered if what she and Neal had was really love. She had been a naive teenager who had never known love and he was way too old at the time. He manipulated her, and she should've known better than to get involved with him.

On some level, maybe it had been love, but a desperate kind of puppy love. Emma didn't know if it was ever a deep love. She'd been too young to know for sure.

All that she did know for sure was that she loved Henry, and that he was the only good thing that came from her relationship from Neal. She'd gotten nothing else out of it but the bug, trust issues, and a broken heart. A heart she feared ever giving to anyone again.

Which brought her thoughts back to Killian, and her shutting him out.

Emma sighed.

"Careful, love." Killian said. "You need to remain alert in Neverland."

"I'm alert." Emma lied.

Killian turned back to her, an eyebrow arched at her. "I can practically hear the cogs in your head turning. What are you thinking about, Swan?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Nothing. I'll be alert, I promise." She made to move past him but he stopped her.

He met her eyes. "Henry will be all right."

His words surprised her, and she immediately felt guilty for thinking about her love life instead of worrying about Henry. What kind of mother was she? A horrible one, apparently. Was he all right? What if Greg and Tamara had hurt him? How could she be so selfish to focus on Killian when Henry was possibly hurt or worse?

Henry was her priority. Nothing else mattered.

It was time to close off her heart.

She lifted her chin and met Killian's eyes with a hard stare. "I know. We'll get him back."

He watched the resolve in her eyes, but even worse, he saw those walls. She was shutting him out. Killian sighed, wishing that Emma could trust him, but he understood why she wouldn't. He was just a pirate after all. He didn't matter to her. He didn't matter to anyone. Killian turned around and continued to forge through the jungle.

Emma tried to ignore the hurt that she saw in his eyes; even more, she tried to ignore the feeling of self-hatred at the fact that she had hurt him.

She had to focus on Henry.

* * *

Regina and Snow sat by their fire in silence. Snow had found a couple of rabbits and proceeded to kill them, skin them, and cook them.

While Regina was disgusted that the princess had these skills, the rabbits were food and she was starving, and well, she hated to admit it, but she was impressed with Snow's skills.

"Where'd you learn to hunt?" Regina asked. It came out a bit ruder than intended.

Mary Margaret glanced at her, curious as to why Regina would want to make conversation, but she answered anyway. "When I was a fugitive, I lived in the woods mostly. I had to learn how to survive, so I did."

Silence fell between them again.

Snow had so much to say, but she wasn't sure where to begin.

Regina picked at her rabbit.

"Why didn't you just kill me?" Snow asked, before she could stop herself.

"What?" Regina was startled by the question.

Well, since she asked it now, and couldn't take it back, Snow pressed on. "Why didn't you just kill me? You blamed me for Cora murdering Daniel. Instead of just killing me, you played nice. You cozied up to me and my father. You killed him, and then you usurped me. You made me run and you made my life hell. You murdered hundreds in your quest for revenge. Then you cursed us all. It was all senseless wasn't it? If you had just killed me, you would've gotten revenge, and so many people would still be alive."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You ruined my life. I wanted to ruin yours. Killing you would've been too easy."

Snow stared at Regina for a long while, trying to process what Regina was saying. She closed her eyes, willing herself to keep her anger in check. "I am not going to keep apologizing for a mistake that I made when I was a child. I was a little girl, and all I wanted was to have a mother again. I thought that you would be my mother, and I needed that. I let my mother die and the guilt nearly killed me, but then you came along and I hoped that you would be the person I could redeem myself with." Snow sighed. Those were words she had been holding on to for so long. Now they were tumbling out, and she didn't want to stop it. "I still feel so guilty for what happened to Daniel. And I do feel guilty for Cora. But I am not sorry for what I did to her. She killed my mother, she tried to trick me into using the candle to save my mother, but I couldn't. I couldn't save my own mother because I knew that she wouldn't want me to sacrifice someone else's life for her life. I knew that if she had found out, she would have never forgiven me."

Regina was taken aback. She knew what Cora had done to Eva, but she never knew that it was Snow White who could've saved them all the heartbreak. Thinking that, Regina's anger flared, and she wanted to snap at Snow, but the other woman didn't notice and continued with her confession.

"Cora just did so many horrible things." Snow said. "She killed my mother and Daniel, she manipulated the both of us, she killed so many other innocent people, she tried to hurt my family, and I just couldn't take it anymore. After warring with you for so long, you wore me down and when Cora returned I didn't have the spirit to fight her. Then, she tried to become the Dark One and I could not let that happen. Not just for my family's sake, but for all of the innocent people who would suffer her wrath. So I did what I did, and I have to live with that for the rest of my life." Tears covered her flushed cheeks, and she had to choke back a sob in order to continue talking. "And...and I know that I am a terrible person for it, but all I wanted was for my family, for everyone, to be safe. Is that so terrible? I wanted Emma and Henry to be safe from her. It was selfish, but I've had my family torn apart again and again. I was not going to let it happen again. Now it has, now Henry's life is on the line, so for his sake, can we please just let the past go and stop fighting, please?"

Snow's confession had Regina at a loss for words. She hadn't realized that Snow had carried all of that with her all these years. Regina felt a pang of regret in her heart that surprised her. She had been holding on to her anger for so long, it was all that she ended up having in the end, it had totally consumed her. But now…no. No, Snow ruined her life. Regina scoffed. "You think that after all of these years, that I would fall for that sob story?" Regina watched the hurt in Snow's eyes, but ignored it. "I don't care that you are sorry or guilty. You ruined my life, and that is something that I can never forgive. Please, you should've been stronger, you should've saved your mother when you could have. It would've saved everyone all of this heartbreak."

Snow couldn't believe what Regina was saying, but really, she should've known better.

Regina turned away and went to her sleeping pallet. She turned her back on Snow White, facing the darkness of the woods around them.

Taking deep, shaky breaths, Snow moved over to her own pallet and cried silently until she fell asleep.

* * *

Henry was exhausted. He'd been running from Greg and Tamara all day, hiding when he could, but he hadn't had much a chance to get sleep or food.

He needed help to keep eluding them.

It was too dark to keep traveling, but Henry needed to find a place that was safe to hide and sleep in. Henry's eyes drooped.

He was so tired. He shook himself when he realized that he was dozing off. Looking around, he noticed a thick brush. There weren't any thorns that he could see, and he could probably squeeze under the branches.

It was noisy as he bellied crawled backwards into the brush. It took quite some minutes to get settled and hidden.

He could barely see through the branches, so it was unlikely he'd be found, even if the sun was out. Using his scarf as a pillow, Henry was drifting off when he heard voices.

"I swear I heard something over here." Greg's voice reached Henry's ears.

The boy's eyes went wide, and he desperately tried to keep his breathing quiet.

"There's nothing here." Tamara snapped.

"Which way do you think we should go?" Greg asked.

"Do I look like I have a compass?" Tamara said.

"Whatever. Let's go this way." It seemed that both of them had had enough of each other.

An ominous wind blew.

A chill trickled along Henry's spine.

The wind picked up.

Henry could still hear Greg and Tamara walking close by.

Something was about to happen.

"What the hell?" Tamara shouted.

Greg screamed and Henry heard a thump.

Gun shots rang out, probably from Tamara's gun, and then she screamed too. Henry heard another thump, and something else clattering to the ground.

It became eerily quiet.

Something was still there though.

Henry could feel it.

He didn't move, he kept his breathing quiet, and he waited.

 _Please, please,_  Henry thought,  _please, let my family find me. Let my moms find me. Please, I just want to go home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay another chapter posted. Update to follow soon. Please let me know what you think.


	3. Difficulties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lost Ones come out to play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of difficulties for our heroes coming up.

Day three of the search wasn't anymore successful than the first two days, and Emma was getting frustrated. There was still no sign of anyone. This stupid island hadn't looked so damn big on the map.

Killian picked up on her mood. "Swan, we will find him, I promise."

"When?" Emma snapped. Her eyes were fire. "We've been here for three days, Killian! We haven't found him yet! What if Pan has him? What if he's hurt?" She closed her eyes and tried to take a few calming breaths.

Killian wished that he could do something to ease Emma's worry. "There's a chance that Henry's still wandering the island." He knew his words wouldn't do much good.

Emma didn't look placated by his words. "He could also be at Pan's mercy." She crossed her arms protectively over her chest.

There had to be something more that he could do. "Yes, he could be at Pan's mercy, but he could also be with Greg and Tamara, or he could have escaped them by now. There are many possibilities, love. But I know that we will find him."

"How do you know?" Emma's expression was one of doubt and worry.

Killian stepped closer. "I've never seen you fail. You won't fail now."

"You really think so?" Emma asked softly, her eyes flashed with vulnerability.

"I know so." Killian gave her a reassuring smile. "You will succeed, Emma. I have faith in that."

A lump formed in Emma's throat. She was surprised that Killian had so much faith in her. Technically, they barely knew each other. She looked into his eyes and saw the absolute sincerity within his. Instinctively, she leaned forward into his personal space.

Killian swallowed, but felt compelled to step closer to her. She was a force, pulling him in.

"Killian." Emma whispered his name breathlessly as she came closer to meet him.

His heart pounded wildly in his chest as her lips neared his. "Emma."

A whooshing sound and then a thunk had them breaking a part before their lips touched.

They turned to see an arrow in the tree, inches from Emma's head.

"Run." Killian hissed, panic in his tone. He pushed Emma ahead of him. "Run!"

A volley of arrows was released hitting tree after tree as they ran.

"It's them, isn't it?" Emma called back, wanting to turn around and make sure Killian was all right, instead keeping her eyes ahead.

"Aye!" Killian shouted. "Keep running! Don't stop!"

Emma did as she was told until she heard a quieter, slightly squishy thunk. She turned her head and watched as Killian stumbled to the ground, an arrow sticking out of his left shoulder. Her feet stuttered to a stop before shifting direction, running back to Killian, who was already pushing himself back onto his feet.

"No, Swan, go!"

Emma reached him and grabbed his arm, pulling him with her. "Not without you!"

As she turned back, two young teenage boys jumped out of the bushes, blocking their path.

Emma pulled out her sword.

Killian pulled his arm from her grip and pulled his too, but he trained his eyes on the two teenagers that were coming up behind them.

Neither noticed the fifth boy in the trees with a slingshot. He aimed a rather large rock at Killian's head.

Emma heard Killian groan before he fell to the ground. She didn't have time to turn around. Something hard hit her from behind and she fell too.

The darkness surrounded her just as the Lost Ones came closer.

* * *

Ariel still wasn't sure about trusting Rumplestiltskin. She was human, once again, thanks to David making a deal, which concerned her, because one never could make a deal with the Dark One always had consequences. She refused at first, thinking that she could help just fine as a mermaid, but David insisted that they needed an extra set of legs on land. Plus, David and Rumple wouldn't be in the water the entire time, they had a lot of ground to cover in the mountains, and Ariel knew things about Neverland that the men didn't. She didn't know what David gave or would give Rumple in return, and it made her concerned.

David had only waved her off when she asked, telling her not to worry about it.

But it was done, and there wasn't much Ariel could do about it.

For now, Ariel was getting a history lesson of Storybrooke from her rescuer. "So your daughter is the Savior." Ariel said. "She broke the curse, but you and your wife are basically the same age as your daughter?"

The prince and the mermaid were hiking up a mountain trail.

Rumplestiltskin was a good distance ahead of them, but he was still in sight.

"Basically." David told her. He had explained exactly how he and his family ended up in Neverland, but that just led to more questions from Ariel, so David started the story from the beginning, hence the lesson.

"And that's not strange for you?"

"Oh it is." David said. "What exactly is your story? I mean, you told us how you ended up here, but what is the deal between you and Rumple?"

Ariel glared at the sorcerer's back. She took a breath, "I was a mermaid, back in the Enchanted Forest, the youngest of seven daughters. My father was overprotective of us, especially me, because my mother was killed by humans."

"I'm sorry." David said.

"Thank you." Ariel sighed. She paused a minute, reminiscing about her mother, before she continued, "I was the most adventurous of my sisters. I longed to see the human world, but my father wouldn't allow us to go to the surface."

"Let me guess," David began, a knowing smirk on his face. "You went to the surface anyway?"

Ariel chuckled. "I did. I saw a ship. I watched the men on board. I watched them laughing, dancing, singing, they were celebrating. Then I saw him. Eric." Ariel smiled widely.

David could see how in love with Eric she was. He let himself smile, thinking of how he felt the same about Snow.

"He was handsome." Ariel said. "Young, blue eyes, bluer than the sky, black hair that he constantly tousled, he hated having it brushed neatly. I was captivated by him. I wanted to meet him, to know him, but I was afraid. My mother was killed because she was a mermaid. I worried that the same would happen to me. So I swam back home, wanting nothing more than to forget about Eric. But, the temptation to return to the surface was too much."

"One day, there was a horrible storm. Eric's ship was out again, and it hit some rocks when they got to close to the coast. I helped to save the men, including Eric. That's how we met officially. He woke up and saw me, but I panicked and tried to escape. He calmed me down, told me that he wasn't going to hurt me, he just wanted to thank me." Ariel told him. "Then he let me go. I went back to the beach the next day and he was there. I didn't let him see me, but he was watching, trying to find me. Every day after that, I went to the surface to see if he was there, swimming closer to shore each time. It was like he was waiting for me. One day, he spotted me, and I couldn't get away. We met every day and talked about ourselves, what our lives were like, his on land and mine under the sea. And eventually, we fell in love."

David smiled. Maybe he was a sap, but he loved hearing love stories. They were the kinds of stories that warmed his heart.

"Unfortunately," Ariel continued. "My father found out about my trips to the surface, and Eric. He was so furious, he forbade me from returning to the surface. I ran away. But there was a problem."

"You weren't human?" David said. "I'm gonna take a guess and say that's where Rumplestiltskin comes in?"

Ariel nodded. "I went to the beach, where I usually met Eric. I was alone, and I had no idea what to do. I wished that someone would come to help me. And he appeared." Ariel motioned at Rumple, who was still ahead of them. "He told me that I could get what I wanted, for a price. I could become human, but I would have to give him my voice."

"And you did?" David asked.

"Yes." Ariel said. "At the time, I thought my voice was worth a lot less than being human. I made the deal, and I got legs. I stayed on the beach, and the next day Eric found me. He was surprised, but he was happy too. He took me back to his palace, and I learned to communicate without my voice, and we fell even more in love. I loved his parents too, they treated me like their own daughter even before Eric and I officially began our courtship." Ariel sighed, saddened by the memories of her lost loved ones. "When the curse hit, I was away from the palace. We had heard about the curse of course, and I had been on my way home, but I got caught in the smoke. The next thing I knew, I was in water. I was struggling to breath, because I still thought I was human. It took seconds to realize that I was a mermaid again. When I realized it, I swam for land, but I ran into these other mermaids. They were so vicious and cruel. That's how I learned I was in Neverland. Ever since, I've been on my own, trying to avoid the Neverland mermaids. Wishing every night for the curse to be broken so that I could find my way home."

"And you will." David reassured her. "The curse is broken now, and when we return to Storybrooke, we will find a way back to the Enchanted Forest. You will make it back home."

"Do you really believe that?" Ariel asked.

David smiled, "I have faith in that, yes."

"Thank you." Ariel said. "For everything."

"Don't thank me yet." David said. "We still have a ways to go before we can leave Neverland."

Ariel smiled. "I guess we will just have to have faith then."

David chuckled. He face fell though when he saw Rumple stop ahead.

"Something wrong?" David called out.

Rumple slowly turned around, a grim look on his face.

"Well, Greg and Tamara are no longer a threat." Rumple said.

David and Ariel reached where Rumple stood. They saw what Rumple was talking about.

Greg's body was on the ground, pale and stiff. Eyes open and void of anything.

Tamara's was leaning against a tree, her gun on the ground next to her.

"Henry." David breathed. "Where's Henry?"

"I don't think that he is here." Rumplestiltskin said. "There's no sign of him."

"What..." Ariel swallowed. "What killed them?"

Rumple sighed, "Pan's shadow, I'd venture."

"You don't think it took him, do you?" David asked. There was a hint of panic, panic that he was trying to bury, in his tone.

"No, at least, let us hope that isn't the case." Rumple said.

"If the shadow didn't take Henry," Ariel began. "Is it possible that there is a trail we can follow? Footprints, or something?"

"Perhaps." Rumple said.

David nodded, "Then let's get to it."

* * *

After Snow's confession and Regina's rejection the previous night, neither of them spoke. They ate breakfast in silence, packed up camp in silence, and now they were walking in silence. Their whole day was passing by, once again without any sign of Henry.

Henry was their sole focus now. Nothing was going to get in the way, and they would find him.

Snow pulled out their piece of the map, trying to gather their bearings.

"We need to go East." She said. "The Home Underground is more East. There's a chance Henry could be there, if they were on this side of the island."

"Fine." Regina glared at the younger woman. "Not that following that map has helped any so far."

Snow sighed.

They began to change course when they heard a rustling.

In an instant, Snow had an arrow notched in her bow, ready to fire.

Speaking of fire, Regina conjured a fireball to launch at any attackers.

There was crowing then. Followed by a group of rag-tag, menacing looking teenage boys.

"Well lads," One of the older boys chuckled. "Look at what we have here. You girlies lost?"

The boys snickered at the joke.

"You little boys better start running." Regina threatened, ready to launch her fireball at the first boy that moved.

The boy who spoke stepped forward, "How about no? Go on then lads, show 'em what you got?"

And then Regina and Snow were surrounded by blades and arrows.

Snow's face became determined then, "Regina, why don't we show them why it's unwise to mess with  _our_  family?" Snow was still angry and hurt over Regina's words last night, but this was not a situation to fight in alone. She needed Regina's help and she hoped her words convinced her.

Regina smirked her evil little smirk that usually chilled people to their bones. "With pleasure." Finally, she could take her frustrations out on something. These foolish little boys wouldn't know what hit them.

Within minutes, a near full out battle raged. Regina and Snow took cover in the trees, Regina using her magic to shield her and Snow from arrows, and then launched fireball after fireball at the boys. Soon, a fire spread throughout the woods. It certainly helped with cover, but now, both she and Snow were coughing.

Luckily, the Lost Ones were retreating, unable to handle the smoke either.

Unfortunately, there were still a lot of Lost Ones that had the women within arrow firing range.

Snow cursed loudly; she was running low on arrows.

Regina was getting tired, her magic draining her.

"Stop!" A voice called out.

The Lost Ones ceased their attack at once.

"Hello there." The voice said. A boy, a teenager, appeared behind them.

Snow armed her bow.

The smoke was enough to still hamper their vision though.

The new arrival was smirking at the women, like he knew everything about them, like he had all of the answers that they were looking for.

It made both Regina and Snow want to smack him.

"Let me guess," Regina said. "Peter Pan?"

The boy's smirk widened. "But of course. And you're Regina...and Snow White."

"Where's Henry?" Snow asked.

Pan cocked his head. "Well, someone's straight down to business."

Regina conjured another fireball, "Where is my son?"

"Ah ah," Pan shook his head. "You might want to put that away."

"Or what?" Regina glared.

Pan laughed.

It chilled Regina and Snow. That wasn't the laugh of a boy who led a group of teenagers around like a bad  _Lord of the Flies_  adaptation. It was the laugh of someone with power, dark power. Pan wasn't a normal boy.

"Do you two honestly think that you and your little band of rescuers will succeed?" Pan asked. "That you can find Henry and escape Neverland? Please. Your mission is futile."

"What do you want with Henry?" Snow asked, before a coughing fit seized her. She powered through. "Why did you have him brought here?"

Pan just shook his head, laughing again. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He turned away from them. "Come on, lads."

The rest of the Lost Ones disappeared under the cover of the smoke.

Pan disappeared out of thin air.

Snow and Regina were alone and the fire was spreading.

"Can you put these flames out?" Snow said.

Regina tried, but she had used too much magic. Her powers were weak. "We need to leave. I can't stop this." She grabbed Snow's arm and poofed them as far as she could with how weak her magic was. She brushed the smoke ash off of her clothes. "Hook and Gold failed to tell us what a little shit Pan is."

Snow snorted, but it turned into another fit.

"Come on," Snow choked out. "Let's find water and a place to rest."

"Yeah, we definitely need to bathe." Regina sighed. "Let's get going."

* * *

After last night, Henry had waited until sunrise to leave his hideout. He had found Greg and Tamara's bodies, but he didn't stick around in case whatever had killed them was still around. He wandered around the island all day. The sun was setting when he found a river.

Thirsty as he was, Henry ran for it, and practically jumped in. He cupped his hands and started gulping down as much water as possible.

As he drank his fill, his thoughts began to wander. _I wonder if my moms are here yet._ Henry thought.  _I hope they are. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to. I miss home. I miss my bed. I miss hot cocoa. I want some hot cocoa now. Hot cocoa from Granny's, with whipped cream and cinnamon, sitting at a booth with mom and gramps and grams, listening to gramps and grams' stories of the Enchanted Forest. Yeah, that would be just perfect._

The sound of rustling leaves had him freezing. Henry bolted up, and found that he was not alone.

There was a group of teenage boys surrounding him. The leader, it seemed, had a smirk on his face.

"Hello Henry." The leader said. "I'm Peter Pan."

Despite hearing that, and knowing the story of Peter Pan, Henry wasn't comforted by those words. There was something dark in Pan's eyes. Something very bad. Henry had the feeling that maybe Captain Hook wasn't the real villain of the story after all.

"Lads." Pan called.

The Lost Ones stepped forward.

"Get him."

A net came out of nowhere, and Henry was caught.

He struggled and tried to get out from under it, but the Lost Ones were fast. And Henry was outnumbered.

"To Skull Rock!" Pan commanded.

Henry was picked up by his arms and legs and carried away.

_Great,_ he thought,  _just great._

* * *

Emma's head was killing her. Like hangover killing her. She tried to bite back a groan, but failed.

"Welcome back, love." Killian's voice came from her right.

Slowly, Emma opened her eyes. Her vision cleared and she met two clear blue eyes. "Where are we?" Emma closed her eyes again, trying to get her bearings.

"Still in the jungle" Killian said quietly, careful as to not be overheard. "We've been captured. Two Lost Ones are guarding us. The others went to get Pan."

"Only two guards?" Emma huffed. "I'd like to think we're more of a threat than that." She cataloged her injuries. Other than her head, nothing else seemed to hurt. However, her hands were bound tightly in front of her, and her ankles were tied too. Glancing over at Killian, she noted that he seemed to be in the same position.

There was a gash across the right side of his head and he still had that arrow in his left shoulder.

"That arrow's not poisonous, is it?" Emma asked, a sudden flash of fear gripping her.

"Not that I can tell." Killian reassured. "It just hurts like a bloody son of a bitch."

Emma looked around them and found the two Lost Ones about ten feet away, throwing some kind of ball that looked to be made from leaves and twine.

"So, let me guess," Emma started. "They took our weapons?"

"Check."

"Including your hook?"

"Check."

"So we're defenseless?" Emma asked.

Killian shrugged, or tried to. "Not really. All we have to do is get loose, steal back our weapons, and then run like hell."

"The problem with that is that we're in their line of sight." Emma sighed.

Killian contemplated something for a moment. "There is another option."

Emma was relieved to hear that. "What?"

"You have your magic." Killian told her. "I have no doubt that you can use it to get us out of this mess."

Her relief left her quickly. "I don't know how to control it."

He gave her a winning grin. "I know you can do it, Swan. It's a part of you, you just have to embrace it."

Emma wasn't as confident as Killian. She'd only ever used magic in a life or death situation.

"Hey, stop talking." One of the Lost Ones came over and grabbed Killian by the legs, dragging him away from her. "You two wouldn't be planning an escape, would you?"

"Now, why would we try to do that?" Killian snarked. "It's always been our dreamed to be tied up and thrown to the wolves."

The Lost One kicked Killian in the stomach, knocking the breathe from the pirate.

A fierce protective instinct rose up in Emma. She pushed herself up as best as she could with her hands and legs tied, thanks to the aid of the tree that was next to her. "Leave him alone!"

"What are you going to do about it?" The Lost One sneered. He pulled out a knife. "I know, how about you sit there and watch as I cut up your boyfriend?" He pressed the flat of the blade to Killian's cheek. "Now where should I start? Shall I scar this cheek to match the scar on his right?"

Her anger built in her heart.

Killian didn't look worried or scared, but bored. Then again, he'd had centuries of dealing with Lost Ones under his belt.

The Lost One moved the bade to Killian's ear. "Or perhaps I should start cutting things off of him?"

A white hot rage filed Emma and, without intentionally doing it, her magic burst from her hands and hit the Lost One, throwing him away from Killian and into a tree.

The boy was out cold.

The other boy looked at her surprised and then turned, running away as fast as he could.

Her magic had blasted a part her bonds as well, freeing her to go over to Killian. She grabbed the knife that had fallen from the Lost One's grip and cut Killian's bonds. "Come on, we need to leave before more of those guys show up with Pan."

Killian stood with her help. "Agreed."

They gathered their weapons, Killian putting his hook back in it's rightful place, and they ran.

* * *

The fire in the woods had eventually been snuffed out by a harsh storm that had Regina and Snow taking shelter inside of a cave inside some rock cliffs on the coast. As the monsoon poured from the sky, the women sat in silence, both lost in their thoughts.

It was due to that that when Regina finally spoke, it startled Snow. "Do you think Henry is safe?"

"I don't know." Snow admitted. "I hope that he is." Snow hopes that conversation would end there. She wasn't keen to receive more of Regina's insults and anger. Her piece was said, and now they just had to get through this journey and get Henry.

"Do you think Pan already has Henry?" Regina asked as she watched the rain.

Apparently Regina wasn't through talking. Honestly after the horrible things she had said last night, Snow wondered why Regina just didn't split off and leave her. It would probably be better for both of them, even if it went against Hook's warning. Snow reluctantly answered Regina's question. "It's possible, but it's also possible that Henry is still wandering the island."

Her words didn't comfort or relieve Regina.

Another silence fell between them.

Snow worried about Henry's welfare of course, hoping that he was safe and that he got away from his captors. Hopefully, Pan didn't catch him yet. There were also David and Emma to worry about. Her family didn't exactly have the best relationship with Rumplestiltskin, but she hoped that a mutual desire to retrieve their grandson kept David and Rumplestiltskin in a truce. David had no tact, and he could be passionate (well, temperamental), and Rumple was condescending and snarky most of the time. They could get on each other's bad side if they weren't careful. Then there was Emma.

Emma could take care of herself, and Snow knew that her daughter would keep Hook in line and make Henry a priority. That wasn't what she was worried about. Her concern was more over Emma's and Hook's obvious attraction to each other now that their animosity was out of the way. Snow had never really been clear on Emma's feelings towards Neal, but he had been Henry's father and Emma just lost him. She hoped that her daughter wasn't emotionally vulnerable to Hook's advances.

"Henry's a smart kid." Regina said, interrupting Snow's thoughts. "He's resourceful."

It sounded like she was trying to reassure herself more than talking to Snow.

Snow was content to ignore her, but then Regina got up and began to pace.

How her heels survived this terrain was beyond Snow's comprehension.

"I mean Henry is certainly capable of taking care of himself." Regina continued. "Even if Pan catches him, he could escape…"

"Regina, pacing and rambling isn't good for you right now." Snow said. "We're stuck here, and it sucks that we're helpless, but building yourself up in a frenzy will only make your anxiety worse."

"I'm not anxious!" Regina snapped.

"Yes, you are." Snow said. "That's not a bad thing. You were Henry's mother for his entire life. He's your son. It's only natural to be worried."

"Oh what would you know?" Regina growled. "You never raised a child!"

Snow closed her eyes and tried to keep a lid on her own temper. "If you remember, you're the reason that I never got the chance to raise my child."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You just have to keep throwing that back in my face, don't you?" With her back turned to Snow, Regina winced. She knew it was a shitty blow, but Henry was alone. She should be allowed to lash out a bit. It wasn't her fault that she was stuck with Snow.

"Yeah, and I'm not going to let you forget it." Snow said. "But that doesn't matter right now. We both have a lot of history and a lot of issues, but right now, all of that needs to be pushed aside. Henry needs to be our priority, and we can't help him or ourselves if we're constantly at each other's throats, so can we please, please have a temporary truce? For Henry's sake?"

Regina hated to admit it, but Snow was right. "Fine." Regina said sharply. She turned to face Snow. "We don't have to shake on it, do we?"

"No, Regina." Snow sighed. "I gathered some berries before Pan's ambush. It's all we have to eat until the storm passes."

"I'm good for now." Regina sat back down. She just wanted to find Henry and leave this island.  _I hope he's okay._ She thought, looking back out at the rain.  _Please be okay, Henry._

* * *

Ariel had second watch.

David was sleeping by the fire, and Rumplestiltskin was leaning against a tree, not quite snoring.

There was a protection spell placed around their little camp, in the hopes that it would deter any Lost Ones that stumbled upon them. Ariel knew the spell was pointless. This was Pan's island. He was the ruler here and if he wanted things done, they'd get done.

Ariel would get her freedom if she helped him. Tomorrow, David and Rumplestiltskin would be led right into the hands of the Lost Ones and Pan would give Ariel a way to return to the Enchanted Forest. She'd return to her Eric, finally.

Though she did wonder if David was correct in believing that Eric too had been caught up in Regina's curse. Thinking of David, Ariel felt the sting of guilt. While she had no qualms about betraying the Dark One after everything that he had done, David was a good man. He lived up to the name Prince Charming and had been nothing but kind and supportive and friendly. He didn't deserve to be betrayed and caught by Pan.

If she betrayed David, she got her freedom, but if she helped him or warned him, then she'd be trapped here forever. It was selfish of her, but she couldn't give up a chance to be reunited with Eric. Even though David already offered another solution of returning with them to Storybrooke, Ariel knew Pan. Pan always got what he wanted and he didn't take kindly to betrayal.

No, she had to look out for herself. She needed her freedom and this was the only way that she was going to get it.

She looked up at the stars and hoped that her guilt wouldn't get the best of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like it. Please don't be afraid to leave comments!


	4. Dangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of dangers lurk in Neverland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting today in honor of Jennifer Morrison's birthday!

After escaping the Lost Ones, Emma and Killian had hidden away in a thick, hollowed out tree that was covered by foliage. They hadn't spoken for a long while, waiting for any other sounds, hoping that the Lost Ones wouldn't find them.

Hours had passed now, and Emma felt that perhaps it was safe enough to talk. She glanced at Killian through the darkness. He was trying to take a look at his wound, but as it was on the back of his shoulder, the thick leather coat having stopped the arrow from going through, it was difficult for him to assess. From his pale, sweating skin though, Emma was sure that blood loss was affecting him, though with the arrow still in his shoulder, he was likely feeling pain at a freaking arrowhead in his flesh and muscles.

"Here, let me." Emma crawled over to him, which wasn't much of an effort considering the tight space, and settled behind him. Emma tried to see the damage, but between the darkness of their hideout and his clothes, it wasn't easy. "I need to pull the arrow out. Then, uh, you need to, uh, take off your clothes. From the waist up I mean."

"If you wanted me naked, Swan, all you had to do was ask." Killian chuckled, but his words were shaky and his breathing was far from steady.

"Okay, so I'm going to pull the arrow out." Emma said. "I probably shouldn't but I don't know how else to treat the wound."  _Not that we even have the supplies to treat it._ She silently added.

Killian nodded. "Do it fast, and take me by surprise. It'll hurt more if I know it's coming."

"Okay." Emma took a deep breath. She had seen blood before. She had dealt with wounds. This should be a cake walk. "How about you tell me a story?" She suggested, hoping it would distract him. That's what they did at doctor's offices for people afraid of needles, right? This was just more like a giant needle that had to come out rather than a standard one that had to go in.

"I had a little brother." Killian began, surprising himself with those words. He never talked about his brother to anyone. Not even Milah had known about him.

"Oh?" Emma positioned herself behind him, hoping that it would help when she pulled the arrow out. She raised her hands, putting them into position.

"His name was Bran." Killian continued. "He was younger than me by a few years. A quiet, shy boy. I guess I was…exuberant enough for the both of u-ow, son of a damnable kraken!"

Emma chuckled as she tossed the arrow aside. "You said make it a quick surprise."

Killian growled in pain, his jaw clenched.

"Tell me about Bran." She asked as she began to help him out of his jacket. "What was it like to have a younger sibling?"

He hadn't meant to reveal Bran's existence to her, and now that the arrow was out, he was rather keen to not say any more on the matter. "Let's just focus on the matter at hand."

Emma didn't respond to that, but she felt a sting of disappointment at his unwillingness to share.  _Ha, like you share personal things with him, right?_ A voice in her head mocked her. Emma ignored it and focused on getting Killian's vest off. Next came the suspenders and then the shirt. Emma remained behind him, her temptation to check out his torso quelled by the fact that she couldn't see much in the dark anyway. But she did feel the numerous scars across his back as she tried to feel for more wounds he might have that had gone unnoticed.

She felt him shiver, but she knew it was from her touch as the weather now was hot and sticky. Emma shook herself; he needed her help right now. Still, she cursed the darkness as she couldn't see much, only able to feel around the hole the arrow had caused. The wound was still leaking blood. Killian's back was already covered in the dry remains of the rest of his blood, as were his clothes. "We have to stop the bleeding and clean it out before it gets infected."

Killian sighed. "We need light in order to do this properly."

Emma knew that it should be night outside now as the vegetation that covered their little hideaway hid the outside world well. They couldn't wait for daylight. If she didn't fix him up soon, he could lose more blood or get an infection, or both and it might lead to his...

No, she wouldn't think about that. He was going to be okay, she would make sure of that. There had to be something that she could do. "I can try and use your shirt to stop the bleeding, but there's not much else I can do."

Killian immediately began mentally cataloging all the potential solutions, and quickly remembered one in particular, which was easy enough considering what had transpired with the Lost Ones. "What about your magic?"

"What?" Emma was surprised he mentioned it, but then again, that's why they were paired up. She had magic and he didn't. Though she hoped that he didn't think she had control over it; she had no idea where that burst of magic that she used earlier had even come from.

"You can use your magic to heal me." Killian told her.

Logically, Emma knew that her magic was their biggest asset right now next to his experience, but she had only controlled her magic a couple of times, and she had had some help both times. Today had been an exception, but she hadn't controlled it then either. She'd never done anything on her own before that didn't result in her magic basically throwing people around, and the thought of messing up and hurting Killian more made her stomach twist.

Even as she hated the thought of hurting him, his wound worried her and her magic seemed to be the best solution. She could heal him completely if she tried. "I've never intentionally used magic on my own before. I've never healed anyone. What if I mess up?"

"I believe in you, Emma." Killian reassured her. "You can do this."

The absolute sincerity with which he spoke stunned Emma; he really believed that she could heal him, and he trusted her so much. No one had ever had so much faith in her abilities before. Killian only knew her as an enemy and now an ally, but his trust in her went beyond that.

Emma took a deep breath and closed hers eyes. If he really believed in her, then she could do this. She remembered Gold's words about magic being emotion; about thinking of who it was that she wanted to protect.

At first, her thoughts went to Henry and her parents and how much she loved them, and the magic began to buzz underneath her skin. Her desire to get Henry back was strong, but it wasn't directing the magic. Her magic tingled under her skin, waiting for her. She thought more about her parents and her love for them and her happiness at finding them. She allowed herself to feel that love, and her love for Henry and her happiness that he turned out to be such a great kid.

Still, she couldn't quite get the magic to rise beyond that tingling underneath her skin.

Then her thoughts strayed to Killian, and she found herself feeling a strong affection that had her heartbeat speeding up. Her memories of him flooded her mind. Their first meeting, which hadn't been the best start. The beanstalk and how he could see right through her, so much so that it scared her enough to chain him up and leave him behind. How her feelings for him shifted in Storybrooke and how she refused to let him effect her. Even though her feelings towards him were a mess, affection, desire, and hope brewed strong and her magic flowed through her like a warm caress that embraced her very being.

It was ready now, so Emma told it what to do, directing it where she needed it to go.

Opening her eyes, Emma raised her hands over Killian's wound as they began to glow a bright white, illuminating their hiding spot.

The wound closed itself, disappearing before Emma's eyes. The only evidence remaining was the dry blood and the holes in Killian's clothes.

Emma's hands dimmed. "Better?" She asked, her tone nervous.

"Aye." Killian said. "I told you that you could do it."

Her lips curled upwards. "Now that we're not in any immediate danger, we should eat and sleep while we can."

Killian nodded, but instead of moving towards his discarded clothes, he reached for Emma's wrist with his hook, and caught her eyes with his.

Even in the darkness, it was so very easy to see the blue of his eyes.

"Thank you, Emma."

Her heart rate picked up again, and she was glad that it was his hook encircling her wrist and not his hand. Her emotions were still close to the surface thanks to embracing them in order to fuel her magic. She swallowed nervously, and pulled away. "You should get dressed."

Killian watched her for a moment, his expression hard to read, before he turned away from her to grab his shirt.

Emma turned away as he dressed, trying desperately to shove down any feelings towards him. They were here for Henry, and she couldn't afford any distractions. She would rescue her son, get them home, and then deal with her…thing with Killian.

That was her plan and she was sticking to it.

* * *

Once the storm had past, Snow and Regina found themselves traversing the island once again. The day was bright and sunny, a contrast to the previous one, but the terrain was muddy and slick, making it harder to navigate. It would also be harder to find any tracks or trace of anyone that had been through the area before today.

Snow sighed. This would only hamper their search for Henry. She searched the map again, wondering where they were when she spotted a familiar landmark on the map. Snow looked up again and saw the life size version of the marking.

That was it. They weren't far from the Home Underground now.

She walked forward towards the landmark.

"Where are you going?" Regina demanded.

"I told you, we're following the map." Snow said without looking back, though she could feel Regina rolling her eyes.

"That map hasn't helped so far." Regina grumbled.

Snow gritted her teeth. Why did Regina have to be so damn obstinate? "It's kept us on track, it's helped us not get lost, and it's helped us become familiar with the area. Just because we haven't found Henry yet, that doesn't mean that we're wasting our time. As I've told you before, you're welcome to poof away and find him on your own."

The idea hadn't set well with Regina and she wasn't sure why. Surely, using her magic to find Henry would be faster than traveling over this impossible terrain. She could just go and find him. She should just go. So why didn't she? Pan wasn't anyone to fear as far as she could tell. Her magic could definitely take him on. Was it what Hook said about staying together? She rolled her eyes. Like she could take the pirate seriously. He probably was just trying to scare them.

"Here it is." Snow's words broke Regina out of her thoughts.

In front of them was an enormous oak tree that looked hollowed out in some places. A small door was carved at the base of the tree. Rope ladders and rope swings hung from various branches. There were even hammocks on the sturdier branches. It looked like it had once been a literal tree house.

"What is this place?" Regina asked.

"The Home Underground." Snow said. "It's the former home of the Lost Boys."

Hope flared in Regina's heart. "Do you think Henry could be here?"

"Let's find out." Snow stepped forward and pulled open the door. It was a task because the door seemed to be stuck from disuse. Finally, she managed to pry it open and ducked through the small doorway.

Regina followed her inside.

There was light from the hollowed out holes above them, but even that didn't provide enough light.

Regina lit a fireball casting the room in a little more light. There were abandoned sleeping rolls and hammocks at various spots in the large tree. Broken wooden dishes and old, worn wooden toys were scattered all over the floor. There were little nooks and crannies that held various other items. Seeing some candles, Regina magically lit them in order to see even more. It was definitely abandoned, just as Hook said.

Worse, there was no sign of Henry.

"They were just children." Snow said softly. "What do you think happened to them?"

"Obviously they decided to become psycho killers instead." Regina snarked.

Snow looked around the room, a deep sadness in her eyes. Whatever did Pan do to these children that turned them into monsters? She eyed the bunks and rolls for any sign that they had been slept in, but she doubted Henry had been here at all.

Something on one bunk caught her eye. She walked towards it and pulled the unrolled parchment that had looked like it had been there a long time. It was a sketch of two boys. One was young, probably four or five, with bright eyes and a toothy smile. The other one she almost didn't recognize. Pan looked so much different in this sketch. He looked innocent and happy like any other boy. There was a small signature at the bottom. KJ. That niggled at her brain. She felt as though she had stumbled onto something important. At the very bottom, under the signature was the sketch's title; simply "Bran and Peter."

"Henry was never here, was he?" Regina asked

Snow sighed. "It doesn't look like anyone's been here for a very long time."

Regina huffed, turning back towards the door, already ducking out of it. "Great, we just wasted more time on nothing."

Unlike Regina, Snow didn't feel as though they wasted time. It was perfectly reasonable to search everywhere for Henry. If Henry had been here, he might not have heard them and they could've just passed right on by him. It was better to waste time looking in empty places than to just write them off.

She looked down at the sketch in her hand. There was just something about the drawing that seemed familiar. It was a very good piece of artwork; whoever had created it was very talented.

"Are you coming?" Regina called from outside.

Impulsively, Snow rolled the drawing up and stuck it in her pack before hurrying after Regina.

* * *

Skull Rock looked as ominous as Henry always thought it would be; it looked straight out of a nightmare. Not that he got to see much of the outside as he was hurried inside.

It wasn't long before Henry was unceremoniously thrown inside a large cage settled in Skull Rock. It would be a great view of the island if it wasn't for the whole being captured thing...again. Being kidnapped was just annoying.

The cage slammed shut and the other boys left leaving Henry alone with Pan.

Pan only looked to be a couple of years older than Henry himself, but their was nothing boyish about him other than his face. His eyes were old and malevolent to match his cruel smirk. "Well, well, well. The son of the Savior. It's good to finally meet you."

Henry eyed him warily. This certainly wasn't the Pan he would've ever expected to meet. And Henry liked Peter Pan in the movies. The book not so much. Captain Hook in the book was better.

"You do know how to talk, don't you?" Pan asked, arching a brow.

The guy caught him and threw him in a cage and expected him to talk? No way. Henry wasn't going to give anything away.

Realizing that Henry wasn't going to talk only made Pan determined to get him to do so. "Do you know why you're here?"

Henry remained quiet. He was curious to know, but he didn't want Pan knowing that.

"No?" Pan prodded. "Well, let me tell you." Pan walked closer, leaning in, his smile wicked. "You my good boy…you're the bait."

_The bait?_  Henry thought, curiously.  _Bait for what?_

Pan noticed the spark of curiosity. "Oh yes, bait. It's all a part of the plan."

Unable to resist, Henry asked. "What plan?"

Pan chuckled darkly. "Who do you think followed you here?"

Henry swallowed, suddenly wishing that he was wrong about his family. "My family."

"Very good." Pan said. "But more specifically, who do you think I want?"

That was a good question. There were only three answers that Henry could think of. His grandfather Rumplestiltskin, who ruined a lot of lives in three hundred years. His mother the Evil Queen, who also crossed a lot of people who probably wanted revenge. Then there was his mom, Emma, the Savior. She was a hero and had good magic. Villains always liked to get at the heroes. "Why don't you just tell me what you want me to know?" Henry said instead. If he was going to be stuck here, he might as well get all the answers that he could from Pan.

The boy of Neverland smirked. "Tell me Henry, have you ever met Captain Hook?"

In truth, Henry and Hook had never been properly introduced. He knew of him and had seen him around, but Hook was a villain; his family would more try to keep Hook away from him. "Not really. You're after Hook?"

"Not exactly." Pan said. "He's only a part of the plan. The true prize is the most powerful magic of all."

That confused Henry for a moment. What did he mean by that? The most powerful magic of all was True Love, but Pan hadn't mentioned Henry's grandparents. It struck like lightning. His mom.  _She_ was a product of True Love. Having been born of that love, she had magic. Pan was after his mom's magic. But why? "Why do you need magic? Don't you already have some?"

Pan's features darkened. "I think that's enough talking for now. I'll leave you to stew helplessly while I go show your family just who is in charge here."

Henry huffed and sat against the bars of the cage. He brought his knees up to his chest, and his head became full of ideas that could be possible ways to escape his current predicament. There had to be a way to escape. He had to warn his mom.

Henry really didn't like Pan. At all. He had to make sure that Pan's plan, whatever it was, failed. He needed to escape, and soon. He just hoped that he could do so with enough time to warn his mom that Pan was after her. Still, Henry couldn't help but wonder what Captain Hook had to do with all of this.

* * *

Guilt ate at Ariel as she fell behind David and Rumple, her eyes darting around for any sign of the Lost Ones. While Rumple probably deserved what was coming, David was a good man, who just wanted to find his grandson.

And here Ariel was not even warning him that Pan was just around the corner. Pan promised that he would let her leave Neverland and return to Eric, and Eric was worth this treachery.

_But what would Eric think of you?_  A voice asked.  _Would he want you to hurt innocents for him?_

Ariel knew the answer to that. She worried her lip between her teeth. If she warned them, Pan would know, and she would lose her chance at finding Eric. Torn by indecision, Ariel knew she had to figure it out quickly.

David turned back to see if she was still behind them. His brow furrowed in concern.

That decided it then. She couldn't go through with this. "Wait, stop."

David did so without protest, but Rumple heaved a sigh that was clearly annoyed.

"What's wrong?" David asked.

"It's a trap." Ariel said. "Pan…"

"Now, now." A boy appeared out of the brush, his smirk evil and his eyes glinting. "Ariel, you promised to deliver. Here you are, backing out."

"Wait, what?" David turned to Ariel confused. "You're working with him?"

"He promised me that he'd help me find Eric." Ariel admitted, ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry, but I wanted to find him. I was going to warn you…"

"But i found you first." Pan chuckled. "Well Ariel, not only were you too late to warn them, but now you've lost your chance at your happy ending."

Ariel shook her head frantically, but Pan waved his hand and Ariel disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

David turned on him. "What did you do to her?"

Pan rolled his eyes. "What is it with you hero types? She was going to betray you, why should you care?"

David lifted his sword. "What did you do?"

"Always with the impulsiveness." Pan waved his hand again and David's sword disappeared.

Rumple stepped forward.

"Ah ah ah." Pan tutted, wagging a finger. "You don't really believe that you have power here, do you?"

Rumple wasn't sure of the threat.

"Let's play a game." Pan said, his eyes on David. "It's called 'Survive This'."

David disappeared in smoke just as Ariel had before him.

Rumple and Pan were alone.

"Now Dark One, let's get you out of my way." Pan smirked. With a snap of his fingers, a cuff appeared on Rumple's wrist. "No more magic for you." Another snap of his fingers, and Rumple found himself disappearing from where he was and reappearing at the very top of the Neverpeak mountain.

Rumple glared down the mountain. Without his magic, his limp had returned. He attempted to remove the cuff, but as he suspected it wouldn't come off. Rumple sighed. This was going to take a while.

* * *

Neal woke up with a start. He was covered in sweat, his throat parched. His side ached so much, and it felt like it was on fire. What had happened to him?

_Tamara._

His own fiancée had shot him.

Emma was there, then the portal. The portal. He fell through it. Where was he?

"He's awake." He heard a woman's voice. It wasn't one he was familiar with.

Neal looked in the direction of the voice and saw two women.

The auburn haired woman walked towards him, while the asian woman scowled at him as though he were the scum of the Earth. The friendlier woman came to his side and pushed him back down on his back.

"You need to rest." The woman said.

The other woman walked over as well, looking ready to defend her friend if Neal tried anything.

"No." Neal protested. "No, I have to get back." He needed to get back to Storybrooke and stop Tamara. He tried to sit up again. This time the woman let him.

"Aurora's right." The asian woman said with an cold tone. "You need to rest." She certainly didn't care if he did rest or not. Her only concern was Aurora. Truth be told, Mulan just wanted this stranger out of their presence.

Neal shook his head, "No, I need to leave. I have to get back."

"Back where?" Aurora asked. She wanted to know more about how a man in stranger clothing, not dissimilar to Snow and Emma's clothing, ended up shot and alone on the beach.

Neal winced as he moved off of the bed, "Storybrooke."

"Storybrooke?" Mulan questioned. She turned to Aurora, "That's where Emma and Snow were from."

"Emma?" Neal asked. "You know Emma?"

"Yes." Mulan said, eyeing him warily. "How do you know Emma?"

"It's complicated." Neal waved her off. He really didn't want to get into that. "Can you help me?"

"Help you do what?" Mulan glared.

"I need to get back to Storybrooke." Neal said. "Where am I anyway?"

"The Enchanted Forest." Aurora answered. "Look, we don't know where to find a portal…"

"I might." Neal cut her off.

Aurora bristled at his tone, but refused to react.

"Do either of you know where the Dark One's castle is?" Neal asked. He had heard about the castle from his father and Henry. It had even been in the Storybook, but Neal hadn't been in the Enchanted Forest in centuries, and his father didn't acquire the castle until years after Neal had left the realm. He needed a guide.

"Why would you want to go there?" Mulan was highly suspicious of this stranger. Just who did he think he was, and what connection could he have to the Dark One? If he wanted to go to the castle, he couldn't have any good intentions.

"It's my father's castle." Neal admitted. "If anyone had magical items lying around it would be him."

"Your father is the Dark One?" Mulan asked. This man was definitely dangerous. She should kick him out of the castle and get those in her charge to safety.

"Yeah." Neal winced.

Mulan and Aurora shared a look, uncertain if they could trust him, because who could trust someone associated with the Dark One?

Was he a villain or was he on their side?

Unlike Mulan, Aurora was considering giving him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he seemed to know Emma, and Emma was definitely a hero.

"Perhaps a compromise." Aurora suggested. "You stay and recover here, and when you are well enough, Mulan will guide you to the castle."

Mulan didn't like that idea one bit.

Aurora gave her a pleasing look.

"Very well." Mulan said. "I will help you find your father's castle, but we go on my terms. And you don't get to bring a weapon."

Neal rolled his eyes. "Fine." He wasn't very happy about being made to rest more, but with his side aching as it did, he figured that rest would do him good for now. He couldn't afford to burn out.

Mulan, still suspicious, gave a simple nod in return. She urged Aurora out of the room, leaving Neal to his thoughts.

He was one step closer to returning to Emma and Henry.

* * *

"Where are we heading now?" Emma asked.

After spending all night in a cramped space of the hollowed tree, and sleeping next to Killian (she was trying not to think about it least her face heat up again), her body ached with being in such a small space and sleeping on the hard ground. Though Killian had been kind enough to allow her to use his leather coat as a pallet.

Killian glanced back at the map. They had been hiking for a good bit and they were dangerously close to the coast where mermaids could be. They were pesky vermin that would be eager to get their claws onto anyone they sensed nearing them. However, this was the best path to sneak into Pixie Hollow, and they were going to need pixie dust if they were ever going to leave this infernal island. "We need to keep going Northwest until we reach the Northern coast. Then we'll swing back Southeast to sneak into the hollow."

Emma listened carefully at his words. She hoped that his plan would work, especially if it was there only way out of Neverland.

As Killian continued to lay out his plan, Emma's ears picked up something else. It was faint, but there was something about the sound that suddenly had her full attention.

She strained her ears to listen.

The voice was still too soft.

She glanced at Killian, who was looking down at the map, but she wasn't listening to him anymore. The voice; she had to know what it was. It was a strange compulsion, but she needed to know. She needed to know more than anything.

She began walking off of their narrow path, and followed the soft voice. What was it? Why did it seem familiar? Why did she need to find it so badly?

The further she walked away from Killian, the louder the voice became, until she recognized it.

"Mom!"

Emma froze. "Henry." She breathed. The voice was Henry.

It was  _Henry._

"Mom!"

Emma broke out into a run.  _Henry, oh god, hold on kid._

"Emma, wait!" Killian's voice was behind her, sounding panicked. The siren. The only one in Neverland. How could he have forgotten about that bloody siren?

"Henry, I'm coming!" Emma shouted, hoping that he would hear her as she ran faster.

"Emma!" Killian shouted. He ran after her, but bloody hell she was fast. "Dammit Emma! Don't listen!" He knew that they had been too close to the coast, but he had hoped that they were far enough away that the mermaids wouldn't catch their presence, but dammit all, how could he have forgotten about the one thing the was more dangerous than mermaids other than Pan?

As for Emma, either she heard him and didn't care, or she didn't hear him at all, because she was still running fast, and heading directly for the water.

"Emma!" He called out again. "It's not Henry!" That had to be what she was hearing. Henry was what Emma wanted most. And by the way she was running, Killian could see that she was being fueled by her maternal determination. "Emma! Stop!"

Finally, Emma reached a clearing. There was a little beach, the surf was gently rolling in.

"Mom!"

Henry's voice had gotten louder. Emma's eyes searched the clearing, but there was nothing there.

"Mom!"

The water. Henry's voice was coming from the water.

Emma walked towards the water, ignoring a warning voice in her head. Something about the water was dangerous, but for the life of her, Emma couldn't remember what. She just knew that she had to get to Henry. He was all that mattered.

There was a voice shouting at her as she stepped into the water. Telling her to get away.

_No, I can't._  Emma thought.  _I have to get Henry._

Emma walked further into the water until she was chest deep.

"Henry." She whispered.

But Henry wasn't here, and he had stopped calling out for her.

A chill froze Emma when her senses came back to her. The siren spell broken as soon as Emma realized just what had happened.

"Oh shit." Emma was pulled under before she could turn back around.

Killian broke through the trees just in time to see Emma being pulled under.

His heart stopped for the briefest of seconds before running through the sands, quickly shedding his coat, sword belt, and boots as he watched Emma struggling in the water.

She appeared to be fighting off the siren that had ensnared her.

Siren's Bay was what the place had been called, but it hadn't been on his original map. The siren had come to Neverland after his return when he sought vengeance against Rumplestiltskin. He had lost many a crewman to her whims all due to his ignorance and now he was going to lose Emma if he didn't hurry. Killian splashed through the water, in a blind panic, reaching them as quickly as he could. As soon as he reached them, he aimed his hook at the siren's back. He would've drawn his dagger had he not needed his only hand to grab for Emma.

Emma's struggling was getting weaker, the siren having overpowered her. This was after all the siren's territory, and Emma had been caught unawares thanks to the spell the siren had placed on her.

The siren screeched when his hook caught her. She clawed at him, to push him away. Killian stabbed her again and again, feeling his rage at her for daring to harm Emma. It wasn't doing too much damage with how fast the siren moved, but her attention shifted from Emma to him. He wanted to look at Emma, but if he took his eyes off of the siren, he was a dead man, and then Emma would be dead too.

So in a blind rage, he hacked at her with his hook and grabbed his dagger with his hand. With both weapons, he attacked until the siren stopped moving and the water around them was stained red. Breathing heavily, Killian's eyes found Emma's still form floating in the water.

_No!_  Killian's heart pounded.  _Emma!_

Shaking himself, Killian swam like a man possessed, reaching her quickly. Without wasting a moment, fearing that he was too late, he set her down as soon as the reached the shore.

He laid her down in the sand.

She wasn't breathing.

"No, no." He breathed. "Come on, Emma. Come on." He turned her head to the side, causing the water in her mouth and nose to spill out. He pushed on her chest, "Emma, love, darling please, please wake up." He turned her head again and breathed into her mouth. He continued to compress her chest and breathed into her for what felt like minutes. As the seconds ticked by, his heart grew heavier. The pain in his chest made his breathing ragged. His eyes were stinging. "Emma." His voice cracked. "Emma?"

_No, no, no, no._  Killian was shaking.  _Please, no. I can't lose anyone her. Gods, Emma, I need you to breath, love. I need you. Please, oh gods, oh gods, please._

Killian wouldn't give up though. He kept at it, praying to every deity he could think of, begging for Emma to breath.

"Emma, please." He whispered, "Come back to me, love."

It hit him hard then, like his own heart was being ripped out of his chest. He was in love with Emma Swan. He was in love with her and he realized it too late. Emma was gone, and he failed her. He failed to save her.

He breathed into her, one last time, as despair began to grip him tight and take over, a single tear leaking from his eye. He breathed the last of his hope into her, praying that she would breath, that she would live. And gods, he would give his life so that she could have hers.

With his eyes closed, he didn't notice the white light that formed in his heart before it travelled with that last breath and into Emma.

Seconds ticked by as he kept his mouth to hers, not seeing the light go into Emma's heart.

She gasped into his mouth.

Killian pulled away, eyes wide.

Emma coughed and sputtered, and Killian helped her roll onto her side, so that she could cough out all of the water.

When she was finally done, she was shaking. "Ki-Killian." She breathed. She looked up at him, lost and confused and a bit scared.

"Aye." He said softly. "I'm here, love." He brushed some wet locks back from her face.

Emma closed her eyes, still shaking, as she tried to adjust to breathing again.

Killian then gently picked her up, getting her further away from the water, and set her down beside the trees. He then walked over to his discarded coat. He returned to Emma's side and covered her up. "Breathe easy, Swan."

"What ha-happened?" She shivered even with the coat on.

"Don't talk." He said gently. "Just rest, love. I'm going to go and get some wood." Killian told her. "I need to start a fire to warm you up."

Fear shone bright in her eyes.

"I promise, I will come back." Killian reassured her.

Reluctant to let him leave, but knowing that he needed to start the fire. She was freezing.

He leaned in close, making sure that her eyes met his. "I will come back, Emma. I will always come back for you. Always."

She bit her lip, the intensity in his eyes startling her. She nodded at him.

He stood and left.

As he did, Emma hoped he would keep his promise, she gripped his coat tighter to her, and inhaled his scent. Rum and the sea was present, but there was something more spicy and citrus like. It was comforting.

Minutes later, Killian returned. Just as he promised, and he started a fire.

Helping Emma move closer, Killian tried not to let it show that he was shaken from what had happened. He had almost lost the woman he loved, and now he well and truly knew how much he felt for her. Frankly, it scared him to death.

As Killian held her close, the warmth of the fire combined with the exhaustion from the attack, Emma fell into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always welcome!


	5. Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neverland proves to be difficult again, and something is happening between Emma and Killian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got the muse to write something. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Without the map of the Neverwood, David found himself lost. If he could just get back to the center of the island, he could use his part of the map to navigate this damn island. All night he travelled, and nothing was familiar to him. He hadn't found any sign of Snow or Regina either. He heard water nearby and felt relief. His canteen was empty, so it would be nice to refill it.

Breaking through the trees, David found a lagoon. He groaned seeing the ocean lying beyond it. Salt water was not a viable option. It would be good for a swim though, and with the Neverland heat, David wouldn't mind cooling off.

He walked over to the edge of the water, kneeling down in the sand. He cupped his hands and splashed the cool water onto his face, then patting some behind his neck.

The cool water felt incredible against his heated skin.

There was a quiet splashing sound to his right, but David was making his own splashes, not hearing anything else.

A shadow was under the water, moving closer to the unsuspecting prince.

"Look out!" Ariel shouted, pulling David back by the collar of his shirt.

David stumbled backwards on his ass as Ariel pulled him away from the shore where another mermaid was snarling at them.

The mermaid hissed again, before going back under the water.

David looked at the mermaid-turned-human. "What was that?"

"That was a Neverland mermaid." Ariel huffed. "They're uncivilized killers. The story goes that centuries ago they were gentle and kind, but I think that's a myth. Anyway, if they catch you, well, you'd be dead."

"Thanks I guess." David stood and dusted the sand from his pants. "Why would you help me?"

"Working for Pan didn't seem like a hard choice." There was clear remorse on her face. "He was going to help me reunite with Eric. Then I met you and you didn't deserve to be duped by Pan. He thinks I betrayed him now, so I'm stuck here forever."

Despite her working for Pan, David couldn't help but feel for Ariel. She only wanted to be reunited with her love. If it had been Snow, David might've done the same. "No, you're not. I promised you we would help you and I'm going to keep that promise."

Ariel's expression became confused. "Why would you help me? I tried to lead you into a trap."

David shrugged. "You're not evil. You just wanted to find Eric. Plus, since Pan won't help you anymore, you might as well try and stick it to him."

"Stick it to him?"

"Uh, think of it as giving him a well deserved slap to the face." David explained.

Ariel smiled a bit at that. "I'd like that."

David returned her smile and stood up. "Then let's go get him."

* * *

He couldn't wait to heal any longer. Every moment here was another moment away from Henry and Emma, and Neal wanted to get back. He had to help them stop Tamara. If only he had known how crazy she was. Were there any signs he missed? She seemed so normal; she was perfect for him, but it turned out he didn't know her at all. Was Tamara even her real name?

Did it even matter?

Not anymore. She betrayed him and lied to him. There was also the whole attempted murder thing. Definitely a quick way to end a relationship.

What mattered now was getting back to Storybrooke and stopping her. He'd prove to Emma that he had changed and that he would be there for Henry.

He pushed himself up off of the bed slowly, his side still aching from his wound. According to Mulan, nothing important was damaged and the bullet removed. He had had a fever the other day and the wound had taken its time to stop bleeding. With the fever broken, it was time to leave.

There weren't any sounds coming from the hallway, so Neal chanced it and carefully swung his legs over he side of the bed. His side ached in protest, but Neal ignored it, searching the room for his shoes.

He shuffled over to where his shoes were, taking more time than he would've liked getting them on. As soon as he finished, he hobbled over to the door, clutching at his side. Slowly, he opened the door, peaking out into the hall. No one was around. This was his chance.

Neal left the room as quickly as he could without aggravating the wound more.

The castle seemed deserted for all that he could see. Or, at least this part of it. He kept his footsteps quiet and his movements slow. While he wanted to get out of here quickly, he had to be smart about this. It was already a risk going alone, but he didn't trust that Mulan woman. She looked like she'd kill him over helping him.

As he reached another corner, he stopped and peaked around.

The coast was still clear.

Something caught in his peripheral. He glanced down; there was the blade of a sword at his throat.

"Give me a reason." Mulan growled from behind him.

Neal slowly turned around, careful to keep his neck away from the blade. "I was just leaving."

"Why?" Mulan glared. "You're to heal, and then I am to guide you."

"You hated that idea." Neal said.

"It what my princess asked of me." Mulan said. "I don't like you, I doubt I'll trust you any time soon, but Aurora has asked me to guide you, and I shall."

"Then do it." Neal snapped. "I'm more healed than I was yesterday, but I'm not going to wait around here any longer. I need to get back home."

Mulan studied him for a moment, her eyes filled with suspicion. "Fine." She relented. "We go, but first, travel provisions. I might not like you, but I can't let you die. So we're not going without food, water, and bandages."

Neal rolled his eyes. "Fine, let's hurry up then."

Mulan looked tempted to decapitate him, but lowered her sword instead. "Fine."

* * *

Regina was sick and tired of traveling, and managed to convince Snow to stop and set up camp. They discussed Regina using magic to find Henry, but the only locator spells she knew how to perform required something that belonged to Henry. Thanks to Rumple's globe, no one had had the foresight to bring a belonging of Henry's with them. It's not like any of them knew that Henry would be kidnapped and they'd all be in this situation.

Resting her feet out in front of her, Regina thought about what they should do next. They had no clue where Henry was, and there was no telling if Pan and his little demons would show up.

Snow was picking berries, muttering to herself Hook's warnings of which were safe and which were not. "Black is safe, blue is not."

Regina looked around and saw some red berries. "What did Hook say about red?"

"I don't think he did." Snow said. She walked over to the red berries. "I don't think these are edible." It was strange though that the berries seemed attached to a thick vine-like stem instead of a bush. Her curiosity got the better of her and she picked one.

It happened so fast. The stem flew at her, wrapping around her arm, pulling her to the ground.

Snow was dragged quickly away from camp.

"Snow!" Regina jumped up, running after her.

The vine was pulling Snow into the bushes. Snow frantically grabbed at her push dagger with her free hand. She stabbed the vine, but it only wrapped tighter around her arm. "Shit!" Another wack at the vine with her dagger didn't manage to land, her blade bouncing off the side of it.

Regina jumped on the back of Snow's legs, hoping her added body weight would stop the vine from pulling Snow further. It worked a little, the added weight too much for the vine to pull as fast as it had, slowing down.

It was then that Snow looked up and saw where the vine was leading just as the giant plant opened up its maw. "Oh crap! Regina!"

Regina saw the plant too, and raised her hand, conjuring a fire ball, still trying to keep her weight on Snow. Launching a few fire balls at the plant, they heard it screech and wail.

Snow's arm was released and she pushed herself away; Regina clumsily pulled Snow back.

The plant's maw closed.

Both women panted, trying to catch their breaths.

"I think that was one of the man-eating plants Hook warned us about." Snow finally spoke as they stood, walking away from the plant, careful to keep their eyes on it.

"Yeah." Regina agreed. "Let's not do that again."

Snow nodded. "We should get back to camp."

As they walked back to camp, wary of their surroundings, Snow kept glancing at Regina. Snow couldn't believe it. Regina had come after her; Regina had  _saved her life_. Regina saved her without hesitation. Why would she do that? Didn't Regina hate her?

"Regina, wait." Snow stopped.

Regina rolled her eyes and turned to face Snow. "What?"

"You saved my life." Snow said. "Why would you do that?"

That stopped Regina completely. It hadn't even crossed her mind to let Snow die. Saving Snow had been an instinct; one that Regina had buried decades ago, one that Henry had helped bring back. What could she say to Snow? She wasn't sure, but it was then that's when it hit her.

She didn't want Snow dead. Not because of Henry, no. All Regina knew was when that vine grabbed Snow, she saw that ten year old girl on a runaway horse, and she jumped into action. "I just did. Hook said we all needed each other." Regina turned away and started walking. "Besides, if I let you die, then I'd never hear the end of it from Charming and the Savior."

Snow didn't fully accept that answer, but from Regina's tone, she wouldn't push. Something was changing; Snow wasn't sure what was going on with Regina, but she was definitely going to keep and eye on her.

* * *

They weren't talking and Emma wasn't quite sure as to why. Ever since she woke up, the first time, Killian had hovered over her, but somehow she felt that there was distance between them. It was as though he were the one pushing her away this time. But why?

Was he mad at her? Was it because of the incident with the siren yesterday?

She should've been more careful; he had warned them all of the dangers of this place. But it had been Henry's voice, and the mother in her took over; she just wanted her little boy back. Her desperation to find him had almost gotten her killed and it put Killian in danger too.

Emma didn't know if it was luck or skill, but if Killian hadn't caught up to her and killed that siren…then she would've died. She never would've seen Henry or her parents ever again, and she would've never been able to tell them how much she loved them. It was a terrible thing that could've destroyed her family, and it would've been her fault.

Killian would've had to live with her death on his hands, and she had no idea what that might do to him, or even if he cared.

_He does care_. A voice in her head whispered.  _Why else would he have saved you?_

_There could be a number of reasons._ She futilely argued with herself. Her memories of the attack were a bit foggy, but she remembered what happened after. Killian looked scared when she had come back to the land of the living, and he had been gentle with her. So very gentle. Speaking softly to her; holding her close and protecting her.

Today, it was so very different.

They were still at the beach; Killian's reasoning being that she needed to recover.

While she was restless and wanted to hurry and find Henry, she was physically exhausted. She had dozed off a few times, her dreams of Henry hurt, of being ripped under the water, drowning. It was too much for her to rest well. It got even worse when she started dreaming of actually being dead and seeing her parents and Henry grieving for her. Those were the worst of the haunting nightmares.

When she wasn't resting, she was watching Killian.

He was tense, stiff, as though he was holding back from a fight. His jaw clenched every time she looked at him, and he refused to look at her. When they talked, his tone was clipped and his words short.

She wasn't sure how to confront him about it.

At the moment, they were sitting in silence, Emma watching him, his eyes staring out at the sea.

She chewed at her bottom lip. Emma took a deep breath before speaking. "Killian?"

His turned to her sharply, his brow already furrowing, concern clear on his face as well as that tenseness that had weighed him down all morning. "Yes, Swan?"

Her voice caught in her throat. She didn't really know where to start; what to say. "I…I just…" Words had never been her strong suit. She had always been a quiet kid. It was something every foster kid learned early on; stay quiet and out of the way. It stuck with her as she grew up and as people continued to abandon her. Even now, she wasn't a talkative person. When it mattered though, Emma knew what to say and how to say it. "Thank you."

"For what?" Killian asked.

"Saving my life." Emma said.

His jaw ticked. "Aye." His eyes flicked down to the embers in their fire. Clearly, he didn't want thanks, or at the very least, he didn't want the incident mentioned.

Emma sighed. "Okay, what's up?"

Killian glared at her. "What ever do you mean?"

"I mean you've put this wall up between us and I want to know why." Emma snapped, pushing herself up, matching his glare.

"If anyone put walls between us, it was you." He growled, standing up. He walked away from her, heading for the shoreline.

Emma gaped at his retreating form before standing on shaky, weak legs and following him. As she got closer to the water, she ignored the fear it sparked in her as flashes of being dragged under the current went through her mind. Pushing the images away, she stopped at Killian's side. "What the hell is up with you?"

"You need to go rest." He told her, his tone slightly more gentle, but he refused to look at her.

That only irked Emma more. "I've rested plenty. Are you pissed at me about yesterday? I'm sorry, okay?" Emma sounded harsher than she meant too. "I did a stupid thing, all right? I know it and you know it, so can we please just forget about it?"

Killian turned to her, a spark of anger in his eyes. "I can't just  _forget_ about it." He stepped closer, looking down at her, his blue eyes intense. "You  _died_ , Emma. You weren't breathing and it was terrifying. Do you have any idea what that would've done to your parents? To Henry?" Killian continued. He needed to get this off of his chest. "They don't deserve your death. W...they need you Emma, more than you know."

"I know all right!" Emma snapped, turning away from him. "I've been going over it in my head all day! It was stupid and reckless, but I thought…" She shook her head before speaking quietly. "I just wanted my son back."

Killian sighed. "I know." He gently grabbed Emma's shoulder and turned her back to face him. "I know, Emma. Neverland and Pan know that too. The siren won't be the last time that it's used against you."

Emma knew that he was right and that she needed to be more careful. "I really am sorry that I scared you." She didn't want to overanalyze what her death made him feel; now wasn't the time for that. Not when Henry was still out there somewhere. There was a connection between her and Killian, ever since they met, but it couldn't be explored. She was too damaged, he probably was too. Henry was their mission and Henry needed to be their focus.

"I'm just glad you're alive." His words were quiet and his eyes sincere.

There was something happening between them as they looked into each other's eyes. Something that crackled underneath their skin.

Fearing it, Emma stepped back and looked away.

Killian held back a sigh of disappointment.

"We need to keep looking for Henry." Emma said after a moment.

Killian knew that she was still physically weak and not likely to lean on him for support, but he knew that she was right. "Aye, but first, to Pixie Hollow."

"Then let's go." Emma said. "The sooner we get our way home, the sooner we get Henry."

"And the sooner we get off this bloody island." Killian agreed.

They walked back to their little camp and packed everything up.

As Emma gathered her things, she watched Killian put out the fire, before shaking her head.  _I have to protect my heart._

Nothing could ever happen between them.

* * *

"I don't know if this is a good idea." Aurora said as she and Mulan headed out the front gate.

Neal was waiting impatiently on the other side.

"I can protect myself." Mulan said. "Besides, I am just guiding him. As soon as he's at the Dark One's castle, I'm coming back."

Aurora gave her a strained smile. "I hope so. I don't know what we'd do without you, Mulan."

Mulan felt a flutter in her heart at Aurora's words, despite the platonic nature of them. She knew that Aurora and Phillip were True Love. Her own feelings didn't matter as long as she could remain in service to Aurora. "I shall return before you know it."

"Hey, we have to go." Neal called back.

Mulan glared at him, before giving Aurora a small smile. The warrior walked away from the princess and headed for Neal. "If we're going to be traveling together, I suggest you find your patience, or you'll find yourself on the pointed end of my sword, again."

Neal rolled his eyes at the threat. "Well, quit wasting time and maybe I will."

It took some restraint not to knock him out and just drag him the rest of the way, and their journey had barely begun.

Mulan called upon her ancestors for patience with this fool she was traveling with.

* * *

He had to give it to Pan; the cage wasn't easy to escape. Henry had shaken all of the bars, looking for weak spots. The bamboo bars were tightly held together by some kind of twine that wasn't giving way.

There were rocks around the cage, but none were quite in his reach, and only a few looked sharp enough to cut through the twine.

Henry had stretched his arm out as much as he could to try and get a sharp rock, but his reach was just too short.

When his thoughts weren't on trying to escape, they were on his mom and what Pan wanted with her magic. Why would he want Emma's magic? What did Captain Hook have to do with it? Was Hook working with Pan? Was Hook going to hurt his mom?

He had to get out of here and warn his mom before Pan got to her. The problem was how could he? He already tried; it didn't help that the Lost Ones were on patrol. Every now and then, they would come and check on him; sometimes one brought his food.

A lightbulb went off. One boy would bring him food, usually a younger one. Usually they would have a knife on them and they had to come close to the cage to give Henry his food. If he could get close enough, maybe he could swipe a knife. He had to be careful though; it could depend on the lost boy. His escape would depend on a gullible Lost One; he'd have to wait for one.

A plan in his head, Henry sat back and waited.

* * *

Rumplestiltskin finally reached the base of the mountain. Pan's cuff was doing it's job, preventing Rumple from accessing magic; he wanted Rumple exhausted, likely to hinder him from continuing the search for Henry.

He had no idea where to start looking for his allies, who were probably father ahead in their search. If only he could remove the cuff; he tried many times to no avail; cutting the cuff hand't worked either as it mended itself faster than Rumple could cut it. It was likely that only Pan himself could remove it.

With a sigh, Rumple rested on a boulder. He needed to come up with a plan, but what could he do without his magic? He had no weapons either. It had been foolish not to gather weapons from Hook's stores, but Rumple had thought that his magic would serve him well in Neverland. He didn't think that Pan had a means of preventing his magic from working. He should've known better, but he'd only dealt with Pan once before when Bae had been in danger, and Pan had been in the Enchanted Forest, Rumple's territory, and he had been the Dark One.

Hating to admit it, Rumple realized that he should've taken Hook's experience in this realm more seriously.

All he could do now was rest, eat, and think. Then he would have to be on his way and search for the others. While it was likely that only Pan could remove the cuff, there was still a chance that someone else could. Regina and Emma both had their magic, at least Rumple hoped that they did, and one of them could try and remove it.

Until then, he had to do what he could to catch up to the others, and hopefully figure out how to take Pan down.

* * *

"Why do we have to make camp?" Emma asked. They were so close to Pixie Hollow, and getting a way home. While the trek had left her exhausted, she was impatient to get the dust and return their focus to rescuing Henry.

"The pixies are most active around this time." Killian said as he sat on a fallen log. "We'll have to wait until late into the night when they're resting. If they catch us, they'll attack without reservation."

Emma paced the narrow path.

"We won't be able to make a fire either." Killian continued. "If they see it, especially this close to their territory, they'll get defensive."

"So all we can do is wait?" Emma asked, clearly unhappy with the prospect.

"Unfortunately." Killian said. "I would save your energy too. If the pixies catch us, we're going to have to run for it."

Reluctantly ceasing her pacing, Emma joined Killian on the log. "I'm not good at waiting."

Killian chuckled. "I see that."

Emma rolled her eyes and shoved her shoulder gently into his.

"Oi." He gently shoved her back, making her chuckle a bit.

They sat in relatively companionable silence as the sun slowly set.

Emma chanced a look at him. There were so many things that she wanted to ask him. She wanted to know more about his past, of course, but that might lead to her opening up to him about her own past, and she wasn't ready for that. Still, what was his connection to Neverland? What was his brother like? What happened to his parents? Figuring those were dangerous, she asked the other question that was nagging at her. "Why did you save me?"

The question startled Killian, who had been lost in his own thoughts, thoughts that regarded Emma. "What?"

"Why did you save me from the siren?" She asked again, staring him down.

Killian wasn't sure how to answer that. "Why wouldn't I save you? We're on the same side after all. Saving Henry is your mission." He found that he was reluctant to tell her why; that it was instinct, that he was terrified, that he couldn't live without her. She'd run away from him if she ever heard those answers.

It wasn't a lie, but Emma could tell that he was holding something back. Was whatever he wasn't saying something that she wanted to hear? Emma decided that it wasn't; she could see it in his eyes that she wasn't ready to hear it, or ready for the implications. Then why did she even ask the question? Did she want to know his feelings? Did she want to hear it to have an excuse to run? Emma wasn't even really sure. What she did know was that the longer they were on this island, the more she liked Killian's presence. His steady support and belief in her helped her more than anything. He made her feel like she could do anything; that she could succeed and get Henry back.

There were feelings there; saving her, pushing her away as he did, protecting both their hearts, he certainly felt something for her. Emma wanted to deny it, but evidence was there. Her feelings were another matter entirely. Ever since the beanstalk, when she knew that she could trust him, when she first felt connected to him, she'd run from her feelings and his. Sometimes she wondered how different things would've been had she trusted her instincts and him and hadn't left him chained up on the beanstalk.

A chill spread through the air with the sun down, sending goosebumps along her arms. There was a shifting beside her and she watched Killian removing his coat. "What are you doing?"

"You're cold." He said, wrapping the heavy coat around her shoulders.

"What about you?" Emma couldn't help but be concerned about him.

"I've spent three hundred years at sea." He chuckled. "I can handle a chill."

Still, she wasn't keen on the idea of him freezing, especially since they couldn't start a fire. Emma shrugged the coat off and stood. "Sit on the ground."

Curious, Killian moved so that he was leaning against the log, his legs propped up.

Emma pushed his legs apart and crawled between them, pressing her back to his chest as she threw the coat over them like a blanket.

Killian's arms went around her middle as she shifted more to ensure the coat covered them both.

"There." Emma finally stopped moving, trying not to focus on the heat radiating off of Killian, trying to ignore his breath fanning over her neck. "Better for us both to stay warm."

Killian just nodded, making a noise of agreement, trying to ignore how good Emma felt in his arms. They were just trying to stay warm; there was no need to make things awkward by thinking about how she felt against him, how right it felt, imagining other scenarios that involved her so close to him. He shook his head lightly, banishing those thoughts.

Even as Emma was trying to do the same, she couldn't help but relax into him, resting her head on his shoulder. It was nice to be in his arms; it felt  _good_  to be in his arms. She wondered if it would always feel like this, but that meant thinking about the future; a future that she wasn't sure that she would ever have.

"Better?" He finally asked, quietly.

Emma nodded. "Better. You?"

"Aye." Killian said. "We should get some sleep while we can. I'll take first watch."

Emma wasn't sure sleep was possible with his proximity, but she closed her eyes and tried to calm her thoughts, even as Killian's hand twitched, causing her heart rate to quicken. Sleep would have to come quick, because her skin was buzzing and being so close to him was tempting, too tempting.

Killian stared up at the sky, trying to count the stars through the foliage, anything to keep his mind off of Emma. It had been so long since he had seen the constellations of Neverland; he wasn't sure if he could remember the names that he had given them all those years ago.

Sleep wasn't coming to her, and Emma sighed, catching Killian's attention.

"Trouble sleeping?"

"Yeah." She said. "I can't get my brain to shut up."

Killian chuckled at that. "Perhaps a story is in order?"

"A story?" Emma scoffed. "I don't think that will help."

"You never know." Killian said.

Emma relented. "Okay, a story."

Killian shifted them a bit. "Look up."

Emma did as he asked.

"See that star over to the left." He couldn't really point it out, not wanting to move the coat too much, reluctant to let her go. "It's got a little cluster of smaller stars around it."

"I see it." Emma said. She hadn't seen stars like that before.

"Let me tell you about how those stars came to be." Killian began his tale. It was a story that he had made up a long time ago, one for Bran when he hadn't been able to sleep, and it surprised him that he could recall most of the details.

As his voice spoke, soft and steady, Emma found herself relaxing against him. Her eyes slowly began to drift closed.

* * *

Pan watched Hook and the Savior from the shadows. His blood boiled as Hook told her stories of Neverland. Those weren't stories for her.

How could Hook just tell her them? Why was she so important to him? Apparently Hook had fallen in love again, and again came to Neverland for another woman. He never came back for Pan.

No, for Hook, Pan was just a bad memory. It was the pirate's own fault. If he hadn't wanted to leave, Bran would still be alive, they all would've been together and happy. But no, Hook had wanted to grow up and live his life.

Pan had warned him that nothing good came from growing up.

Look what growing up had done to Hook. It made him a pirate, lost him his hand and love, and made him a villain.

Did he think loving again would redeem him?

Pan would make sure it wouldn't; Hook would know only more pain. Hook would regret ever returning to this island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and questions are great motivators for writers! ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you guys think! More will be posted this week!


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